With Me
by TMBlue
Summary: I'm going to send you this letter soon. Then you'll know everything that I want to say but can't...Your blood becomes one, your power moving from one to the next. You are one now, joined by your blood.
1. Introduction

**With Me**

_A/N - This story is AU, taking place right after OOTP, after Harry, Ron and Hermione's fifth year at Hogwarts. I just had the idea one day (based partially on a dream actually) and decided to write it even though it has nothing to do with the way things really went after their fifth year. So if you can get past that, enjoy!  
_

"At the end of Harry, Ron and Hermione's fifth year at Hogwarts, the Ministry begins to fall rapidly under the influence of Dark witches and wizards. Their quiet infiltration of the Ministry results in the resurrection of ancient and cruel laws as they find places for them among the modern world, gaining power with each one. Lucius Malfoy's first order of business as the newest and most influential member of the wizarding law committee is to bring back ancient Blood Marriage Law, a marriage by which a pure blood wizard has the means to enslave a Muggle born witch. When the pure blood wizard requests a Blood Marriage, it is more than just a request: it is a demand. The Muggle born witch must comply and is forced to marry the pure blood wizard against her will, bound to him eternally. Hermione just received one of these letters... from Draco Malfoy. And there is only one way to stop it..."

**Introduction**

Hermione's hands trembled on the letter, her eyes glistening with tears, the moonlight that flowed in through her bedroom window casting the room into a sort of surreal haze. It couldn't be true. It wasn't possible.

She dropped the letter to the floor, a short wave of determination and bravery coursing through her. This wasn't the end. There was hope. It could be a lie. It could be false.

She crossed to her desk in front of the window and reached for her ivory quill, her hands still shaking. As she wrote, she bared down hard on the parchment, hoping to show no signs of her fear through her penmanship. When the letter was complete, she let out a shaky breath and rolled it up. The Ministry owl who had delivered her previous letter was not to be trusted. She could not send him to The Burrow or to the Dursley's. Fortunately, she had just received correspondence from Ron earlier that day. Pig sat on her dresser, unaware that she was preparing to either seal or disprove her terrifying fate by sending this one little letter.

Hermione shooed the Ministry owl out of the open window and waited until he had disappeared deep into the night sky in the opposite direction from where she was about to send her letter. Then finally, she turned back to Pig.

"Pig," she called out, her voice shaky. "I need you to deliver a letter to Ron."

Pig swooped down from Hermione's dresser and held out his leg. As she tied the parchment to Pig's leg, Hermione chanted a calming phrase through her head. _It's not true. It's not real. It's not true..._

Pig gave a hoot before heading out into the night and Hermione could do nothing now but wait... wait to see where her fate would lie, wait to see if the piece of thick parchment that lay behind her on her bedroom floor was to be her death certificate... or if by some miracle it was all just a dream, just a trick, and she'd soon feel cool relief flood her at Ron's insistent reply that it wasn't true. Her life hinged on this hope, and sitting at her desk, she closed her eyes, focusing on her breathing, in and out, in and out...

*****************************************************

Pig did his part well. He reached The Burrow deep in the night. Ron was fast asleep when the owl's feathers began to tickle his nose.

"Pig..." Ron groaned as he rolled over, still half asleep. "Can't you wait until morning?" But Pig hooted and shook his leg, the letter Pig carried brushing against Ron's cheek. Ron cracked his eyes open at the feel of the parchment on his skin, now more awake as he realized that whoever it was that needed to contact him had made a very frantic attempt if they had sent Pig back with a letter this late. And then it hit him. Hermione. Pig had been with Hermione. She was now trying to contact him.

Ron sat upright in bed with a start and nearly ripped the letter as he jerked it from Pig's leg.

"Why didn't you say you had a letter..." Ron muttered absurdly to the owl as he unrolled Hermione's parchment... but as he read her words, he felt his heart stop. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be real. This was a myth, a story...

Seconds later he was standing over his mother and father's bed, frantically whispering "Dad! Dad!" and shaking him, hoping to rouse him. His father's eyes opened, and as he became conscious of Ron's presence in his room in the middle of the night, he quickly got up from the bed, trying not to wake his wife, but moving as fast as possible in case something was going on that needed his immediate attention. And from the look on Ron's face, it did.

Ron led his father into the hallway, his eyes wide with shock and terror.

"What is it?" Arthur Weasley asked in as cool a tone as he could muster.

"Hermione."

"What's happened?" Mr. Weasley was already making his way down the hall towards the cloak closet.

"Dad, it can't be true. This has to be a lie, some kind of prank or sick joke..."

"What's happened?" Mr. Weasley repeated calmly as he swung his traveling cloak over his shoulders. Ron thrust the letter forward into his father's hands. But the moment his father had finished reading the first sentence, Ron knew it wasn't a joke... "Draco Malfoy?" Mr. Weasley asked in a shaky voice.

Ron stared, terrified, at his father and said nothing, knowing that there was nothing to say, nothing that was necessary.

"Is she at home with her parents?"

Ron nodded.

"Then I'll go and get her and bring her here."

"I'm coming with you," Ron insisted, and to his great surprise, his father did not object.

Mr. Weasley folded Hermione's letter and put it in his pocket, not wanting anyone to find it in the night. And then they were in the front yard, Mr. Weasley gripping his son's arm as he turned on the spot, closed his eyes, and Disapparated them both.

Inside Mr. Weasley's pocket, the letter in Hermione's shakier than usual hand spelled out in very direct terms what had happened, what was going to happen to her if it was real. And Ron's stomach felt sick as he reappeared in a clearing with his father. He wasn't sick from the Apparition this time...

_Ron,_

_I know you will tell me this isn't legitimate, but I've just received a rather disturbing letter from Draco Malfoy informing me that I'm to sign a Blood Marriage with him. Blood Marriage is basically this old wizarding marriage law that says that a Muggle born witch has no rights over herself. If she receives one of these marriage letters, she has no choice but to marry the wizard who sent it and become his slave. There is no way to reverse it._

_Now, I know you will know more about this than I will, being part of a pure blood family... at least your father will. I need to know if this is real, if there is any truth to what this has to say. This law was banned centuries ago, and to my knowledge it would never be able to hold up in our current society. But under the circumstances, with the world at war as it is now, I have to be sure. Please contact me as soon as you can. I wouldn't ask or send you a letter this late if it wasn't extremely important. I'm sure I'm just being silly, that it's not real, but I need to know. I have to know._

_Hermione  
_  
...Ron and his father walked silently through the dark and mostly deserted streets of Muggle London, Ron not quite sure where they were or even how to get to Hermione's house. But he knew that his father would not be leading them blindly. When they finally reached a row of urban three story beige stone homes, Ron's father stopped, scanning the front doors for a number. Finding what he was looking for, he approached the front steps, took a deep breath, and headed up the stairs, Ron just behind him. Ron had a strange feeling as his father knocked softly, then harder on the gray front door... it was as if his life was over, or was just beginning. Either way, he could sense that something was changing, something was about to irrevocably alter his life, and whether for better or for worse, he was completely and utterly unprepared for it.


	2. The Only Way

**Chapter 1 - The Only Way**

Time passed as Ron stood with his father on the steps.

"No one's coming," Ron whispered and his father nodded, then removed his wand cautiously from his pocket. Ron glanced around to be sure no one was watching, but the street was quiet and dark and no one was anywhere to be seen.

With a swish of Mr. Weasley's wand and a soft click, the front door opened to reveal a very dark and narrow hallway. A stairway could be vaguely made out on the right up ahead. Mr. Weasley pocketed his wand once again as he stared forward into the dark house.

"Do you know which room is hers?" Mr. Weasley asked his son in a whisper. Ron shook his head no as his father ushered him forward into the silent interior of the Granger's home.

Mr. Weasley shut the door as quietly as possible behind him, darkening the hallway considerably. But Ron moved forward on his own now, desperate to reach Hermione, to be sure she was alright. He climbed the stairs, his feet as light as possible on the carpet. When he reached the first floor landing, he glanced around, but seeing two doors ajar, he knew he needed to keep moving upwards. Beyond the first open door was what looked to be a library, and beyond the second was a well-made bed, light from the large bay window on the landing illuminating the pressed and carefully folded quilt that tucked under the pillows at the headboard.

Ron climbed the second set of steps, barely aware that his father was following him up. When he reached the next landing, he felt his heart begin to beat more rapidly in his chest. What if he was too late? What if she was gone?

He nearly bolted forward towards the door directly to the right, the one that bared a cross-stitched red and pink sign that read "Hermione" in curvy, tilted letters. He barely knocked before he pushed into the room, only realizing when he saw Hermione's shocked face turn towards him that he could have easily walked in on her in too few clothes. He blushed, his ears heating up, but ignored it in favor of moving further into the room to stand before her. She stared up at him, the shock of his presence wearing off and quickly being replaced by a question... one that still hung in the air all around her.

"My Dad's here," Ron whispered. "We've come to take you home with us."

"Then it's true." Her statement stung Ron's ears and he swallowed hard.

"I think so."

They stood staring at each other, the weight of their words hanging thickly between them. Mr. Weasley entered the room more cautiously than Ron had, but when he caught sight of the Ministry parchment on the floor, he met Hermione's eyes.

"Is this it?" he asked.

She nodded and Mr. Weasley bent down to retrieve the document, his forehead creased in immense concern. He barely glanced at it before returning his attention to Hermione and Ron where they stood watching him. They wore matching expressions of trepidation on their faces.

"Hermione, you should pack your things quickly. We need to get you out of here."

Hermione nodded and began to methodically pack her already half-packed trunk. Ron wanted to help her, but he had no idea what to do. He reached for a stack of books on her desk and handed them to her. She took them without meeting his eyes and packed them away neatly.

Moments later, she had finished.

"I'll need to speak to my parents," and she left the room. Ron wondered if she would lie to them. He figured that she would and felt a wave of concerned sympathy wash over him at the task she had to perform. A lie to save her parents, to save them from the truth. But was it worth that? What if this paper was the end... Ron kicked his foot hard against the corner of Hemione's wooden desk and his father's alarmed eyes darted towards him.

"Sorry..." Ron muttered, though he wasn't sorry. He wanted to punch something, anything. But mostly, he wanted to hurt something... _someone_... someone in particular...

Hermione returned to her room looking solemn, and as Ron helped her heave her trunk and Crookshanks' basket out of the room, he noticed that Hermione's parents were standing off to the side in the hallway in their night clothes, both looking anxious but tired.

"Mr. Granger, Mrs. Granger," Mr. Weasley said, nodding gravely to each of them. But not knowing what Hermione had chosen to tell her parents, he said nothing more to them.

Ron and Hermione made their way downstairs with the trunk, and when they reached the front door, Mr. Weasley stopped them.

"We'd better Apparate directly from here," he said. He then aimed his wand at the trunk, muttered a spell, and the trunk vanished. He repeated the process with Crookshanks, then held out his arms for Ron and Hermione. "Hold on tightly," he instructed. Ron looped his arm through his father's, but Hermione didn't take Mr. Weasley's other arm right away. Instead, she stepped forward to where her concerned parents looked on. She hugged them both tightly, and as Ron watched, he felt his eyes begin to prickle. It wasn't fair. None of this was right. Whatever happened, she didn't deserve this. Hermione deserved to be happy. Always.

She stepped back from her parents, gave them a weak and hopefully reassuring smile, then took Mr. Weasley's arm.

"We'll take care of her," Mr. Weasley said in a choked voice. He then turned quickly on the spot, closed his eyes, and they were gone.

*****************************************************

Ron paced the living room floor at the Burrow as his father lit the fire. Ron had so many questions, all of them things he didn't want to ask for fear of what the answers might be, but finally, he could stand it no longer.

"How is this possible?" he asked furiously.

"Ron, there are things going on quietly behind our backs while our heads are turned, things we can't comprehend," Mr. Weasley began as he straightened up in front of the now roaring fire. "Dark and terrible things... Laws have been appearing, surfacing, left and right, things that we knew to be banished, outlawed... reappearing. This is one of them. Yesterday, a man came to my office to inform me that his sister had received one of these letters. We were instructed to examine it for authenticity. But there was no need. It was legitimate. Buried in paperwork we found loophole after loophole, and finally, an official document, scribbled in haste and clumsily organized on crumbling parchment... but there it was. This is real, Ron. As real as any other wizarding law and just as serious."

Hermione stood silently watching, listening, trying her best to stay calm, to keep herself together. But Ron could tell that she was falling apart inside.

"So how do we stop it?" he asked as his father.

But Mr. Weasley did not respond.

"Dad, how do we stop it?!" Ron demanded, his voice rising desperately.

"Ron..." Mr. Weasley trailed off.

Behind him, Ron heard Hermione sniff and he turned to look at her, but her eyes were lowered to the rug on the floor.

"Dad," he began again frantically as he turned back around to face his father. "This isn't going to happen. We're going to fix this."

"There's no one we can consult. No one can be trusted in the Ministry now. We're on our own. And as far as this goes, I know of nothing that can prevent a Blood Marriage, nothing that can-"

"That's not true!" Ron roared, his hands balling into fists.

"I-I've checked..." Hermione's weak voice rang out behind Ron and he turned back towards her somewhat hopefully, knowing that if anyone would find a way, it would be Hermione. "There seems to be... nothing that will hold up against... against a document like this..."

Ron's eyes flickered angrily in the fire light.

"Well check again!" he bellowed, his voice harsher than he had intended, and Hermione flinched.

"Ron, there is something... I..." Mr. Weasley trailed off, but Ron whipped around to face his father.

"What?!" he demanded.

"I've just thought... but we'll have to consult with Bill..."

"Dad, what is it?!"

Mr. Weasley looked up sympathetically at his son.

"She'd have to marry someone else."

"That's no problem," Ron said instantly. His father had clearly not been expecting this reaction. His eyes widened and he stared at his son, shocked.

"Ron, do you understand what-"

"I understand! I'll do it."

Ron heard Hermione gasp behind him, but he couldn't bring himself to turn around. He had just agreed to marry her! As this sunk in, his face began to burn again, but he resolved himself to show his determination to his father, to show that he was certain.

Ron watched as his father studied him, then turned his face towards Hermione.

"Hermione..." Mr. Weasley said in a soft voice. She said nothing. With his back still towards her, Ron could only guess what she was thinking. That he was crazy? That she didn't want to be with him? That her life was now over because of this letter?

Finally, after what seemed like a silent eternity, Ron found his voice again.

"There are two options," he said, rationalizing his recent decision both to himself and to his father and Hermione. "One... I... marry Hermione and we live... happily ever after." Ron swallowed thickly at his own words. "Two, Draco bleeding Malfoy marries Hermione, tortures her, enslaves her, whatever other bloody things he wants with her!"

A very meaningful silence filled the room as Ron's words echoed in everyone's minds. Ron was right.

"Very well," Mr Weasley said in a somewhat detached tone after a long moment. "I'll tell Bill when he arrives."

"Bill?" Ron asked, confused.

"He's coming in from Egypt this morning. He can perform the... ceremony. He's licensed. You two should get some rest. I'll talk to your mother, Ron."

And Mr. Weasley left the room without another word. Ron stood completely motionless, his hands still balled into fists at his sides. He felt Hermione's presence behind him intensely now with his father gone. What could he say to her? How could he face her now?

But she took the first steps and moved towards him, crossing around on his right and moving to face him straight on. Her eyes were still turned down to the carpet as she spoke.

"Are you sure?" she whispered, her voice hitching.

"Yes," he whispered back without a second thought.

She nodded once, then passed by him again and headed upstairs. Ron remained standing in the middle of the living room until he could no longer hear her footsteps. Then, quietly, he made his way up to his room at the top of the house and sank onto his bed. If everything went smoothly, he'd be married in a few hours.

He closed his eyes. If only Hermione knew how he really felt about her... but now, the need replaced the want. This was never how he had planned it. He had thought of his life with Hermione, of their future together. He had hoped that someday he'd get to kiss her. Then maybe, if things worked out, he'd get to take her out on a date. Then another. Then someday, some distant day when she knew how much he loved her, when she'd seen it, he'd ask her to be his wife. And it would be perfect, if she'd have him. Now, tainted by this new threat, their marriage was not made of love but of necessity. Would she ever be able to believe that he'd loved her long ago, that this was what he'd wanted for them long before Malfoy's letter had arrived at her home? And even if she did, there was always the chance that she didn't want this for herself, that she was marrying him as a lesser of two bad things... much lesser, yes, but not out of love for him, not out of want: out of need.

And then it hit him. What if she wanted someone else? This was her choice after all and he'd hardly consulted her. No, he hadn't consulted her at all! His father's glance towards her had been the only recognition of her presence in the room at all. And now he'd signed her up for a marriage with him when she could have wanted someone else! What if she would prefer Harry? He'd do it to save her, Ron knew that. Or Krum... would he sacrifice himself for her? He fancied her, that was pretty certain. And if she wanted him instead... Didn't Hermione at least have the right to choose if someone else would have her?

Ron jumped up from his bed. As hard as this was going to be, he had no choice. He had to know. He had to ask her, had to make sure that she was going to be as happy as he could possibly make her, even if that meant that it wouldn't be he who would make her happy.

He flew down the stairs, skipping steps along the way, and reached Ginny's closed bedroom door in no time at all. He knocked quickly, his fist slamming in rapid succession into the hollow wood door. He didn't care who he woke. He had to know. He had to.

Hermione opened the door after a moment, her hair a mess and her eyes bloodshot. She had been crying... really crying now. Ron spotted Ginny sitting on the edge of her bed looking tired, but very anxious.

"I need to talk to you," Ron said quickly and Hermione nodded. She exited Ginny's room, closed the door behind her, and followed Ron upstairs to the next landing. But he couldn't wait to get her all the way up to his room. He had to know. Now.

He stopped at the door to the bathroom, opened it, and pulled Hermione into it. He shut the door and stared down at her, his eyes darting nervously over her scared face.

"Is this what you want... to do this?" he asked, his voice uneven.

"What?" she responded in a soft but confused voice.

"With me." Just two words, but he knew she'd know what he meant.

"If _you _don't want-"

"That's not what I'm asking," Ron interrupted, wondering if she was turning this around on him to avoid answering.

"But if you don't..." Hermione trailed off.

"I do."

She looked up at him, taking in his words and the second meaning that they would have in a few hours when he said them again.

"Ron..." she sobbed, bringing her hands up to cover most of her face.

"If there's someone else you'd prefer... this is your life, Hermione. I'm not going to let Malfoy ruin your happiness. Tell me who you want and I'll make sure-"

But he didn't get to finish his sentence.

"I only want you," Hermione said through a heavy sob.

He wasn't sure he'd heard her right for a moment. But had must have. She had been clear enough.

"You... do?" he asked uncertainly.

She nodded and he felt his heart stop. She wanted him too!

"This is your life too, Ron," she started. "I want you to be happy."

"I am. I will be. As soon as you're safe..."

"We can't undo this, once it's done," she reminded him.

"I know."

And they stood staring at each other for a moment, taking in the enormity of their decision. Ron knew from what his parents had told him that wizarding marriages were for life. When you sign your name, you commit not only yourself, but your magic, your soul, your heart, your whole life to another person. There was no taking that back. But he was ready. Now that he was faced with it, he knew he was ready. He wondered how long he had felt this strongly, but he could hardly remember not feeling this way..

Hermione leaned into him then, resting her head on his shoulder, her hands clutching the cotton of his t-shirt. He carefully wrapped his arms around her, nervously pulling her closer until her whole body was against his. And she dropped her hands from his shirt to hold him around his waist. They stood there together for a long time, Hermione's eyes closed and her tears subsiding as she breathed in Ron's warmth. Finally, they pulled apart. Hermione wiped at her eyes and her cheeks, clearing the tear tracks. Ron gave her a small half-smile which she returned, feeling like there was hope after all for the first time all night. They could get through this. Together, they could make it.

"Go try to sleep," Ron said in a raspy voice. "It'll be morning soon and Bill will be arriving."

Hermione nodded and Ron opened the door for her.

He walked with her back down the flight of stairs that separated the bathroom from Ginny's room. Hermione pulled the door open slightly and peered in. Ginny was still sitting awake on the edge of her bed. She glanced up as Hermione entered the room.

"Goodnight," Hermione whispered to Ron as he stood awkwardly in the hallway. He didn't want to leave her now, but he knew that he should. Maybe she needed her space. This was, after all, her last night as a Granger...

"Goodnight," he returned, trying to keep his voice calm and even.

They stared at each other for a moment longer just looking into each other's eyes before Hermione finally broke the contact and retreated into Ginny's room, closing the door behind her. Ron remained in the hallway for a moment, then slowly made his way back upstairs. He needed to contact Harry. Ron had only just realized that Harry knew nothing about what was happening. He'd have to be filled in.

So Ron wrote a quick letter, telling Harry that he'd explain the rest later but that they were all safe and that they should try to get Harry out to The Burrow quickly. He'd talk to his father about it in the morning.

Then Ron stretched out on his bed, closed his eyes, and tried to clear his mind enough to sleep. Slowly, without even realizing it, he drifted off into a strange dream where he was controlling everyone around him, forcing them to keep away from him and from Hermione who he was protecting. He had an odd power in his dream, an ability that made others fear him. He could save her. He protected her with everything he had. And no one could even come near her. No one could touch her.


	3. With Our Blood

**Chapter 2 - With Our Blood  
**  
Ron awoke to the sound of birds chirping merrily in the sunlight outside his window. His head was pounding and it did not subside as he sat up in bed.

"Blimey," he muttered, clutching his head.

He stumbled out of his room and down the stairs towards the kitchen where he knew his mother kept herbs and teas for headaches. But when he entered the kitchen, he was greeted by a swarm of people. His mother and father were sitting at the table, his mother's eyes bloodshot from crying and his father's forehead creased with concern. Fred and George sat at the end of the table huddled together. For once, they did not seem to feel like telling a joke. Bill was also there... and so was Harry.

"Harry..." Ron began when he spotted him.

"I got your letter just before your father arrived to pick me up," Harry said, and Ron glanced down the table at his father.

"So you know... I mean..."

Harry nodded slowly.

"I know everything, I think..."

Ron nodded, relieved in a way that he did not have to tell the story to Harry himself.

"Ron," his mother sniffed. "Eat something, dear."

"I was just coming down for some tea, Mum," Ron began. "I have a bit of a headache."

"Oh!" Mrs. Weasley stood quickly from the table and busied herself with making Ron's tea.

"You don't have to..."

"Nonsense!" she shouted as she continued to bustle about. Ron said nothing else, but let her make the tea and serve it to him. He had no idea what she was thinking. She had to understand what Ron was doing and why... didn't she?  
When Ron had finished his tea, his first question was for Bill.

"When do we uh..." Ron swallowed. "Do this?"

"Tonight," Bill answered, then he stood from the table. "Ron, come with me. We need to talk about a few things."

Ron stood, noticing the sympathetic and nervous faces of his family members as he left the room. Perhaps whatever it was that Bill had to talk to him about, everyone else already knew. As Ron followed Bill into the living room, he began to feel anxious.

"Is something wrong?" Ron asked, concerned.

Bill sighed and Ron knew instantly that whatever Bill was about to tell him, it wasn't good news.

"Ron, it's true that you can marry Hermione to save her."

"Okay," Ron said slowly, not sure where Bill was going with this.

"But Ron... you can't just perform any marriage. When Blood Marriage was first instated, it was as a rule, not as an option. It was how things were during the Dark times, long ago, long before organized and civilized wizarding communities were even established. Powerful Dark wizards instated these laws to keep Muggles from fighting back. Very little is even known about it other than that it was originally a law for wizard-Muggle marriages."

"Oh," Ron said shortly, wanting Bill to get to the point.

But just as Bill was about to continue, Hermione entered the room quietly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm interrupting," she said as she turned to go.

"No, wait," Bill called after her. "You should hear this too."

Hermione turned nervously back into the room.

"What's going on?" she asked, looking to Ron for answers. But Ron just shrugged.

"Bill hasn't gotten to the point yet," Ron said in a slightly annoyed tone.

"The point," Bill began, giving Ron a serious look, "is that in order for your marriage to count, in order to stop Malfoy from marrying Hermione anyway, your marriage has to be the same kind of marriage as the one Malfoy was proposing."

Hermione's eyes widened.

"You mean a Blood Marriage?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yes."

Ron stared at Bill, horrified.

"You've got to be joking..."

"No, I'm afraid not," Bill said gravely.

"Damn it!" Ron shouted.

"Ron," Bill began, trying to calm him. "It's not as bad as it sounds. The thing is, with this sort of marriage, you have control over the person only if you choose to use it, and you would never use it."

Ron contemplated Bill's words for a moment. Of course he'd never use it... so maybe this wasn't _that _bad...

"But then why does it matter?"

"Because the ceremony is different and the procedure, the requirements, are more strict."

"What kinds of requirements are there?" Ron asked nervously.

"Well, the ceremony is written in runes, but fortunately, I can read it. And the papers you have to sign are written that way too, in ancient runes." Bill shifted his weight uncomfortably and Ron braced himself for what Bill would say next. "The requirements..." Bill sighed. "You have to join your blood."

Ron's eyes widened.

"Come again?"

"It means we have to mix," Hermione answered and Bill nodded.

"That's right. I'll have to cut your hands and you'll have to join them together. There's also a spell to join your magic. That's a bit more tricky. See, when it's done, you - Hermione - will have a bit of Ron's magic in you and Ron will have a bit of yours. But with this sort of marriage, Ron will also have control over your magic. He can stop you from using it or take it away from you altogether. That's kind of the point of the marriage actually."

"But I wouldn't do that!" Ron shouted defensively.

"I know," Hermione said, smiling up at him reassuringly. "Obviously not."

"Yeah, we know, Ron. You aren't a total prat."

Ron tried to grin at Bill's joke, but he was anxious and nervous to hear what other rules there might be...

"Anything else?" Hermione asked.

"Yes. You'll have quite a few papers to sign, and you'll need rings. Once you put them on, they won't be able to come off. I can make them. There is a spell to forge them. Dad has some old gold somewhere, a tiny bit, but it will do." Bill paused, but Ron could tell that there was something else, something still weighing on his brother's mind.

"What else?" Ron asked, urging him on.

"Just... one more thing." Bill said. He looked down at the carpet, and when he looked back up, Ron saw the sympathy in his brother's eyes. "I know this is really fast and all, but you'll have to... well, sleep together."

Ron swallowed hard. He felt his pulse quicken and his heart begin to beat rapidly against his ribs. He was sure that Hermione would be able to hear it.

"What?" he choked out.

"I'm sorry. But that's what it says."

A stale and extremely uncomfortable silence engulfed them. Suddenly, Ron had a thought.

"Wait, what does it say exactly?" he asked, knowing that he was reaching with this, but praying that it could still work.

"What do you mean?" Bill asked, confused.

"How is it phrased?"

"Just like that. You have to sleep together as the final requirement."

"It says that, does it?" Ron asked. "Sleep together? Just like that?"

"Yeah, Ron, what's going on?" Bill asked, puzzled.

"So perform the marriage, do all that other rubbish, and we'll just go up to my room and go to sleep."

Bill stared at Ron for a moment, then slowly seemed to catch on.

"You know, that might just work, Ron." Bill said, a bit astounded by Ron's logic.

"You're brilliant," Hermione whispered to Ron and he smiled briefly down at her.

"Well how will we know if it does work?" Ron asked.

"Your signatures turn bright pink," Bill said. "You'll sign in blue ink, a special sort that's designed for marriage documents. Then, once everything is done, the ink turns bright pink."

"Okay. So that's it then? That's not so bad," Ron said, shooting Hermione a gentle smile which she returned.

"Yes, that's all. Ron, Hermione, you do know that wizarding marriages are for life? You can't reverse them..." Bill glanced from Ron to Hermione, then back again.

"Yes, we know," Ron said. Hermione nodded as well.

"Okay," Bill said, nodding solemnly. "I'll just get it all prepared. Meet me down here after dinner and we'll go outside to do it."

Ron nodded and Bill left the room.

"Okay, so it's going to work," Hermione said, reassuring herself.

"It will work," Ron said firmly and he smiled at her again.

Harry entered the room a few moments later to check that they were alright. They explained everything to him, making sure he had been completely filled in on all the details. Much too quickly, it was time for lunch. Ron's mum called them all in from the living room and Ron only noticed then how hungry he had become.

After lunch, Hermione disappeared upstairs and Harry went up with Ron to Fred and George's old room to unpack his things. Ron helped him unstack a few shirts, trousers and books, things he'd need over the summer. Then they pushed Harry's trunk to the foot of the bed and closed it. Ron sat down heavily on top of the trunk and stared forward, his mind racing.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked quietly.

"Yeah," Ron choked out. They sat in silence for a moment. "This is so bizarre," Ron admitted after a while.

"The marriage and everything you mean?" Harry asked tentatively.

Ron nodded.

"It's just... Harry, I mean I really love her, mate. I have for... well, I don't know how long. The point is, I didn't want it to be like this. And now... I mean, I feel like I can't be happy about it, like I have to see it differently now because I _have _to do it. Does that make sense?" Ron glanced over at Harry and Harry nodded slowly.

"I think so," Harry said.

"I'm not sure what I'm doing. We're sixteen, for Merlin's sake. But I don't feel too young in a way. It feels right somehow. I just wish I was better at explaining this sort of stuff. I wish I could explain it to her properly."

"Maybe you'll be able to after it's done..." Harry suggested.

"But that's just it. I don't want to explain it after it's done. I want her to know that I'm not just doing this because I have to." Ron paused and bit his lip. "I would have asked her someday, I'm sure of it."

Harry chuckled.

"You would have had to ask her on a date first," Harry joked.

"Exactly! We haven't even ever... well..." Ron blushed. "...kissed or anything."

Harry sat thinking for a moment.

"Do you have to during the ceremony? I mean that's how Muggle weddings work but I haven't been to a wizarding one."

"Yeah," Ron said. "We do."

"Then maybe just get her on her own and kiss her beforehand," Harry tried. Ron contemplated this for a few moments.

"Yeah, maybe... I don't know..." Ron said, still considering it. Harry stood and began to arrange his books on the dresser. Ron helped him, trying not to think any more about the kiss for the time being...

*****************************************************

It wasn't long before Ron was in his room dressing. He had tried on at least a dozen different shirts, all of them now lying in a heap on the floor, written off as not good enough. Harry sat on Ron's bed, watching with a cross between amused interest and boredom.

"Is that one going to work?" Harry asked as Ron eyed his reflection in his chipped bedroom mirror.

"I don't know..." Ron said as he turned to one side, then the other. "It's too..."

"Yes?" Harry asked in a distinctly sarcastic tone. Ron glared at him.

"Are you just going to throw on the closest shirt for your wedding, Harry?" Ron asked before turning back to the mirror.

"Maybe I will. This seems a bit more neurotic."

Ron sighed, then pulled the shirt off over his head and tossed it to the floor.

"I just want this to be perfect. I only get one shot, don't I. And any time I've ever imagined my future, this was part of it. But not this way. So the least I can do is look as nice as possible for her."

Harry stared up at Ron, clearly touched by Ron's seriousness.

"I'm sorry, Ron. I didn't mean to make fun of you."

Ron waved him off.

"Nah, it's fine," he said, pulling on another shirt. "I'd be bored out of my skull as well if I had been watching you try on everything you owned for the past two hours."

Ron turned to his right, then to his left. And he had to admit, he didn't look half bad.

"Well, alright," he said, nodding. "This will do."

*****************************************************

Fifteen minutes later, Ron was back in his t-shirt and jeans and heading downstairs for dinner. He had laid out his nice clothes upstairs, but didn't want to come down to dinner dressed up.

When he entered the kitchen, Hermione was already seated next to Ginny. An empty chair was left open to Hermione's right and Ron quickly took it. He felt a wave of nerves crash over him as he ate. His eyes occasionally darted over to Hermione, trying to sneak a glance. He wished he knew what she was thinking.

Finally, the silent and awkward dinner was over and Bill was ushering Ron and Hermione into the living room. Harry followed them. Ron had asked him to be the witness. It was only necessary to have one in this case. It was actually forbidden for more than one person to attend other than the bride, the groom, and the man who was to perform the actual ceremony.

"Okay," Bill began, looking solemn. "Are you ready?"

Ron glanced at Hermione. She nodded, so Ron did as well.

"I'm going outside to finish setting up. Can you meet me in the garden in fifteen minutes?"

Ron looked to Hermione again and she nodded, so did he.

"Right," and Bill left them.

Harry left the room and headed upstairs. Hermione turned around without a word to follow him, but Ron reached out frantically and caught her wrist in his hand. She turned back, a questioning look in her eyes.

"Are you okay? I haven't seen you most of the afternoon," Ron said gently.

"I'm okay," she said with a slight smile. "Are you?"

Ron paused for a moment, considering Hermione's question. Was he okay?

"Actually, I am," he admitted. "It's going to be over soon."

Hermione stared up at him for a moment, confused as to what he meant. Then slowly, she caught on.

"I won't be in danger..." she said.

"That's right," Ron said, nodding.

"We should get ready," Hermione said after a moment, and she pulled her wrist out of Ron's grasp and headed upstairs.

*****************************************************

Ron's large feet took each step down from his room with a meaningful pause. He felt that he had so much to say. And now, these stairs were the last obstacle in the way, the last door between his past and his future. As he reached each landing, he closed his eyes, remembering the feeling of Hermione's arms around his waist in the bathroom the night before, her hug at the beginning of the previous summer, her voice on the telephone the one time he had tried to call her at her home, her perfume on his jumper after he'd loaned it to her during a particularly chilly Quidditch match...

And then he was at the bottom, the last step. He took a deep breath and stepped forward, both of his feet coming to rest at the foot of the stairs. The door stood wide open where Harry had just walked through it. The screen often stuck open until someone pushed it shut again.

The darkening night sky outside felt like a velvet cloak, hiding them from the world. The night's secrets were spread under the black cloak, thinly layered on top of each person who dared to stand underneath it.

As he approached the garden, he saw his brother Bill in lantern light alone. The sun had dipped so far behind the trees now that it provided no light in the dense garden where Bill waited. But Bill stood alone as Ron approached, and he was both glad and terrified that Hermione was not yet there. Once he reached Bill's side, he'd have no where to go, nothing to do but wait.

And wait he did, though not for long. Harry stood to Ron's right and Bill to his left. An empty area to Bill's left remained open for Hermione as she finally came around the corner of the house, her silhouette moving like a ghost across the garden. And then she was there, standing right in front of him, and Ron knew he had never seen anything so beautiful.

She hadn't done too much, just a bit of makeup and a yellow sundress Ginny had loaned to her. She had thought of wearing her cloak, but she didn't want to cover herself in darkness. She was supposed to be happy. This was a happy night. And yet, she wasn't sure what she felt, or what she was supposed to feel now...

Ron couldn't take his eyes off of her, but she seemed to be having trouble looking at him at all. Bill reached out and took Ron's left hand and Hermione's right. He cleared his throat and was opening his mouth to speak when Ron suddenly wrenched free of Bill's grasp.

"Hermione," Ron began, and now, finally, she looked at him... His navy blue shirt was pressed neatly and it fit him quite well. His brown trousers were just long enough for his lanky legs, for once covering his ankles. Hermione took in his appearance with a quick sweep of her eyes. Then, meeting his gaze, suddenly remembered that he had called her name. Something was wrong.

"Ron..."

He pulled her away from Bill and Harry and across the garden to a secluded and very dark corner under the low-hanging branches of a willow tree.

"Hermione..." Ron began again. "I know this is mental. We'll be married in a few minutes. But I need you to know. I need you to understand..."

She gazed up at him curiously, her eyes wet with unshed tears and her heart pounding furiously in her chest. She waited, holding her breath, for his next words...

"Hermione... I love you. I have for so long."

He breathed out, and so did she. Tears spilled in waves down her cheeks, and for a moment Ron thought he had done something horribly wrong.

"Hermione! I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

She shook her head quickly.

"Ron... Ron, I love you too," she sobbed, and then she was in his arms. She nearly fell into them, her fists clenching his newly pressed shirt. But he couldn't have cared less. He held her tightly, a grin spreading across his relieved face. She loved him... she loved him... she loved him!

"Hermione," he said after a long pause. "Marry me."

"Yes," she laughed, wiping as her eyes as she pulled back from him.

"Brilliant," he said grinning, and he led her back to where Bill and Harry waited to seal their future.


	4. Sleep

**Chapter 3 - Sleep**

Bill took Ron's left hand and Hermione's right one in his own. He then instructed Ron and Hermione to join their free hands, forming a circle. Harry was to stand outside the circle as a witness.

As Ron took Hermione's hand, he rubbed his thumb over her knuckles once, but it was enough for her to shiver slightly. Everything she had been feeling before - fear, anxiety, nervousness - seemed to edge away now that she knew how he felt about her... and now that he knew how she felt about him. Anything she feared, she knew he'd be there to help her through. Anything he feared, well, she'd always be there for him...

"Ron, repeat after me," Bill said.

Ron nodded and waited for Bill to begin again.

"I, Ronald Bilius Weasley..."

"I, Ronald Bilius Weasley," Ron echoed.

"Now take Hermione Jean Granger as my own," Bill continued.

"Now take Hermione Jean Granger as my own," Ron repeated again, looking down at Hermione now, his ears bright red.

"With this seal, she belongs to me," Bill said with slight hesitation.

"With this seal... she... belongs to me," Ron echoed, shaking his head slightly.

"Always," Bill said quietly.

"Always," Ron whispered hoarsely.

"Ron," Bill said now, as he dropped Ron's hand. "Stamp this page with the seal..."

Ron reached forward with his now empty left hand and stamped a large rubber seal onto a very official looking document.

"Now, your magic, your lives, and your souls will be joined. Your blood becomes one blood, your magic becomes one magic, and her body is given to you-" Bill looked at Ron "-as your possession for all of eternity."

Ron didn't like this part. It sounded way to much like he really was taking Hermione as his slave. He made a disgusted face and shook his head.

"Do you, Ronald Bilius Weasley, agree to the terms specified in these documents, to bind yourself eternally to Hermione Jean Granger, to offer a bit of yourself in return for all of her?"

Ron considered Bill's words, wondering if there could be something foreboding amongst these documents that he didn't realize he was signing up for.

"Don't worry," Bill added when he saw Ron's concerned expression. "I've read through it all. Many times. There's nothing off about it."

Ron raised his eyebrows at Bill.

"Well," Bill amended. "Nothing you didn't already know about."

"Okay," Ron said, nodding. Then he turned towards Hermione. "I do," he said, and she smiled, her eyes getting wet again.

Bill paused to turn the page in the complicated document he was reading from, and Ron took the opportunity to speak.

"Do I get to say anything during all this? Is there a bit of a break where we can say what we want to say?"

Bill looked at Ron, a little bewildered.

"Well, go ahead now I suppose..." Bill said, shrugging.

"Okay," Ron faced Hermione completely and took her other hand, holding both of hers in his own. "I just want to say that what this is saying, it really makes it sound like I'm about to own you or something... but the truth is, I can't believe how lucky I am to be here."

Bill shot Ron a shocked glance.

"I know it's bad timing and it's a little dodgy, but... I'm marrying the girl I've fancied since... well, I can't even remember when I didn't."

Hermione blinked and a stray tear found its way out of the corner of her eye.

"I know this is really scary and sort of mental, but I honestly don't even care. I'm just so happy right now that I'm here with you. And I don't think anything else should matter. Not Malfoy, not this bloody stupid marriage document, not the fact that we're standing in the middle of the garden after dark doing this in secret... I've been wishing all day that we could just do this right, but maybe this _is _right. It's not the circumstances that matter... it's who I'm here with. And I... I just love you so much and I hope that I'll be able to make you happy... I think that I can, and I'll make bloody well sure that you are even if it turns out that it's not with me and... well, no matter what."

Ron blushed as he stared down at Hermione. She blinked back more tears at his words.

After a moment, Bill began to speak again, but Ron was hardly aware of what he was saying until he was asking Hermione to repeat after him. Hermione was made to say a lot of rubbish about supporting Ron and doing anything he desired, but he couldn't pay attention. It was as if the words meant nothing anymore. The only thing that he could see was Hermione standing right in front of him, holding his hands, saying 'yes', and 'I do', and 'always' after Bill instructed her to. And then her part was done and she was asking to say a few things to Ron while Bill sharpened his knife...

"Ron," she began. "I don't know how to tell you how I feel. I was so scared when I got that letter from the Ministry. I thought my life was over. But now that you're here... I know my life has just started. A lot of things have changed in the last few hours, and you're right, it's terrifying-" Ron grinned "-but we'll be okay. I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I was when you said you'd marry me to save me. And then to know that you might actually feel... that you _love _me... I feel like I just went from being the most unlucky person alive to being the most lucky. I love you. I always will. And now you know..." Hermione grinned shyly.

Ron smiled down at her, his eyes beginning to prickle.

"Ron, your wand hand please, and don't touch the wound until you've mixed your blood with Hermione's," Bill said, cutting through Ron's hazy thoughts and forcing him to look away from Hermione for a moment.

The knife was very sharp, so the pain was not as great as it could have been, but that didn't stop Ron from yelling and wincing as the blade sliced his palm, his skin tearing, blood running down his wrist.

"Ron!" Hermione screamed as she watched him squeeze his eyes shut.

"I'm okay," he said through clenched teeth. "S'not so bad..."

But then Bill was cleaning the knife and reaching for Hermione's trembling hand. She closed her eyes, and just as the knife blade was about to penetrate her skin, Ron realized that Bill was about to hurt her as much as he had just hurt him and his eyes shot open.

"Wait! Bill!" Ron clutched his hand, trying hard not to cover the cut. "Can't you do something about the pain? Can you numb it or something?!" Ron asked pleadingly.

"No, I'm sorry," Bill answered apologetically, shooting Hermione a sympathetic frown. But she shook her head.

"It's fine," she said unsteadily. "Let's just get it over with," and she held her hand out further and closed her eyes. She felt Ron's free hand grasp at her free one and he squeezed her hand just as the knife sliced through her skin. She bit her lip so hard that it turned completely white. But she didn't scream. Tears poured from the corners of her tightly shut eyes. Ron watched her, his eyes locked on her anguished face as the blood began to drip from the fresh wound of her right hand.

"Now, mix," Bill instructed, nodding at them both.

Hermione opened her eyes, blinked furiously, and extended her bloody hand to Ron's. As their palms met, there was a brief moment of extreme discomfort, then the pain began to subside. They felt each other's heart beats through their throbbing hands as Bill spoke again.

"Your blood becomes one, your power moving from one to the next. You are one now, joined by your blood." Bill turned the page in the rune filled book he was reading from, reviewed the next bit, then set the book down. He reached for the rings. "Okay," he said, "you can let go now."

They moved their hands apart and Hermione instantly squeezed both her hands together, trying to stop the bleeding in her right palm while also easing the pain. Ron did the same.

Bill extended a small wood slab towards them and Ron saw that it contained both of their rings. Ron reached out to take one, but Bill stopped him.

"Repeat after me," Bill said, and Ron squeezed his hands together again. "This ring,"

"This ring," Ron repeated.

"Will remain a part of me for as long as I shall live."

"Will remain a part of me for as long as I shall live."

"And I give to you," Bill continued.

"And I give to you," Ron echoed.

"...gold forged for this purpose: to bind us as one."

"...gold forged for this purpose: to bind us as one."

Bill nodded towards the ring and Ron took it this time, then reached for Hermione's hand which she stretched out to Ron. He placed the ring on her finger, blood from her wand hand coating most of her left hand as well now.

"Bill," Ron said as the ring glowed, then returned to its normal gold. "Can I fix Hermione's hand now?"

Bill glanced at Hermione's blood soaked hands and nodded.

"Go ahead," he said. "We don't need the blood anymore."

"Do you trust me?" Ron asked her and she nodded. Ron reached into his pocket and pulled out his wand. He pointed it at the gash on her hand and carefully said a long spell, swishing his wand through the air with several flicks. Hermione's hand instantly began to seal up, the wound lessening and a scab forming over the remaining bit of open flesh.

"Thank you," Hermione breathed, the stinging she had been feeling subsiding now to almost nothing.

"Of course," Ron answered. But then Hermione was pulling out her own wand and taking his hand. She repeated the spell he had just performed, and he felt his hand healing instantly to match Hermione's. "Thanks," he whispered and Hermione nodded.

"Of course," she said, echoing Ron's words.

Bill pushed the wood slab back towards them and directed Hermione to put the remaining ring on Ron's finger after she repeated Bill's words... "This ring will remain a part of me for as long as I shall live. And I give to you, gold forged for this purpose: to bind us and to keep us as one." Hermione repeated the phrases as Bill spoke them. Then she slid the ring onto Ron's left hand, watched it glow, and waited as it return to it's natural color.

Bill turned the page and cleared his throat, then raised his wand high above them.

"Join hands," he instructed.

Ron took both of Hermione's hands in his own, careful not to squeeze her wand hand too tightly, not wanting to hurt her where the knife wound was still fresh.

"Raise your hands together," Bill said, and they obeyed. Bill touched the tip of his wand to Ron and Hermione's joined hands, then began to chant. As his voice got louder, a thin, sparkly spiral weaved its way out of his wand and around Ron and Hermione's joined hands. As it twisted, Ron felt his skin heat up and begin to tingle where the silky, coiled thread touched him. And then suddenly, it tightened almost painful around their hands. Ron wanted to move away from it, but it had a strong hold on their hands and he could do nothing but watch as the coil squeezed and flickered. And then it was gone, vanished in a small puff of smoke. Ron's hands felt strangely light in Hermione's as he slowly lowered their still joined hands, shivering slightly.

"Woah," Ron whispered, still staring at their joined hands.

"Now sign here," Bill instructed. Ron looked over at the rune covered document, trusting that Bill understood all of its contents. They slowly dropped each other's hands, signed, then separated slightly, waiting to see what came next.

"On this day," Bill began, "August the 3rd, 1996, you are one. Mr. Ronald Bilius Weasley and Mrs. Hermione Jean Weasley, go forth. You are no longer who you were. Ron, kiss your bride."

Ron's hands shook as he realized what he had to do. This was it. He leaned slowly forward, and after what seemed like an eternity, his lips finally met hers and he closed his eyes.

Warm. Soft. Perfect. Ron had no words to describe how he felt after that. His mind turned to mush, his hands somehow found their way to Hermione's cheeks. His lips moved over hers without even considering what he was doing. And then they were separating. He instantly wanted more, wanted to feel that way again... bliss, perfection, heaven...

Hermione opened her eyes slowly, her knees weak and hardly able to support her. Her lips tingled. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared up into the eyes of her best friend... and now her husband. She let out a shaky breath and Bill began to pack up everything. Ron was vaguely aware of Bill handing him a piece of paper, the one they had both just signed.

And then they were moving, heading back towards the house. Harry was somewhere behind them, but Ron hardly noticed. Before he could comprehend it, they were climbing the stairs up to his room.

"Sleep..." he heard Hermione mutter as she gripped Ron's left hand tightly in her own, pulling him towards his room. They entered, and Hermione removed her shoes.

"I love you," Ron whispered as he pulled off his own shoes and sat on the edge of the bed.

"I love you too," Hermione said through a huge smile. "Sleep with me," she added, her eyes lighting up. Ron's face turned instantly red even though he knew exactly what she really meant.

"Okay," he choked out as Hermione sat down on the bed next to him. Ron laid their signed document on his bedside table. The navy blue ink in which they had signed still shone up at them. "When it turns pink, it's all over," he said as he scooted up to the head of the bed.

"We should set an alarm for an hour or so, that way we can check to be sure it's actually worked," Hermione said thoughtfully.

"Good idea," and Ron set his alarm as Hermione crawled into the bed on his left.

Ron laid back against his pillow awkwardly. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. Was he allowed to touch her? Did she want him to?

Hermione untucked Ron's Chudley Cannons' blanket and slid underneath it, resting on her side facing Ron. The bed was so small that he could hardly keep from touching her accidentally where she lay next to him. His left side tingled at the feel of her body heat radiating next to him.

"Are you cold?" Hermione asked in a small voice, and Ron wondered if she was really asking him that or if she was just giving him an excuse to come under the blanket with her. He blushed, but slid under the blanket beside her, then turned on his side to face her without answering her question.

He stared at her for a moment, unsure of what to do next. They needed to sleep, but he felt like he wouldn't be able to just yet. His hands were trembling, his heart was pounding, and his head was spinning. He was married. He was married to Hermione. Hermione was his wife!

He closed his eyes, squeezing them shut, and Hermione wondered if he was upset about something.

"Are you okay, Ron?" she asked in her small voice again.

"Yeah," he said as he opened his eyes again and looked straight at her. "Sorry. This is all sort of unbelievable," he admitted.

"Yeah..." Hermione said, breaking eye contact with him now.

Ron saw a flicker of worry cross over her features. But he was insanely happy... confused and a bit overwhelmed... nervous and awkward, but so very happy. He hadn't meant to confuse her. So he reached out, as scared as he was, and took her hand under the blanket. Hermione's eyes darted up to his again at his touch and she smiled.

"It's okay, he can't hurt you," Ron said softly and Hermione nodded.

"We should sleep," she said, a small grin tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Yeah," Ron agreed, grinning back. Hermione closed her eyes and tried to force herself to sleep, but she could still feel Ron watching her. She opened her eyes again after a long moment and grinned again.

"Yes?" she asked, her eyebrows raised. Ron's ears turned bright red and he forced his eyes away from her.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I can't stop looking at you."

Hermione breathed in sharply and stared forward at Ron, a little taken aback.

"It's okay," she whispered, stunned.

Ron scooted a fraction closer to Hermione, his legs bumping into hers. He was just about to pull his legs away when Hermione moved closer to him. She slid her foot between Ron's shins and he felt his heart beat quicken.

"Try to sleep," Hermione laughed.

"Okay," Ron said, shooting her a lopsided grin. And they both closed their eyes.

Ron tried to concentrate on anything but Hermione right beside him. He was too excited, too nervous to sleep. Hermione was in his bed! Her legs were tangled with his, her hand was in his, and her face was mere inches away on his pillow. He could smell her everywhere, feel her everywhere. This was never going to work... He'd never be able to sleep like this.

But finally, after what seemed like hours, Ron heard and felt Hermione's breathing become much deeper and he knew she was asleep. He opened his eyes and studied her face... her closed eyes, her mouth slightly parted, her hair where it fell around her face and across his pillow. He sighed contentedly. Now that she was asleep, maybe he'd be able to join her. So he allowed his body to relax and he closed his eyes again. It wasn't long this time before he was asleep beside her.


	5. Sure

_A/N: Just wanted to let everybody know that this chapter gets a little more... intense... than the previous ones have been, which explains the rating on the story. It's nothing graphic, but definitely more adult than the rest of the story has really been so far. So now you have been warned. Enjoy._

_Oh, and thanks to EVERYONE who has reviewed the story!!! I love all you guys and you're the reason I keep on writing and posting!! Thanks so much!  
_

**Chapter 4 - Sure**

Ron awoke to a very insistent buzzing behind him. His alarm was going off, yet he could tell even through his tightly shut eyes that it wasn't morning yet. And then he slowly became aware of everything around him, and recent events rushed forward in his mind.

He opened his eyes and there she was, though she had moved much closer to him in her sleep. Her forehead was pressed against his neck and the hand he had been holding in his when he had fallen asleep was no longer in his own but was clutching the back of his shirt, her arm wrapped around him. One of his legs had also found its way over Hermione's, squeezing her even closer against him.

He felt her moving next to him, waking slowly to the sound of the alarm. Ron reached to his right and shut off the alarm just as Hermione was moving away from him and opening her eyes.

"Ron..." she said in a raspy, sleepy voice. "Did it work?"

Ron had almost forgotten about the document.

"Oh," he whispered as he turned back to the night table, disentangling his body completely from Hermione's as he raised his head and pulled the form towards him.

He stared at the parchment and his heart sank.

"Damn it..." he muttered, shaking his head.

Hermione sat up in the bed behind him and leaned over him to have a look.

"What do we do?" she asked timidly as she saw that the ink on the document was still dark blue.

"Dunno..." Ron said, sighing. But he knew of one thing, something that he now assumed they'd _have _to do. But he wasn't going to be the one to suggest it. In fact, he was trying as hard as possible not to think about it...

But suddenly, he heard a voice outside, a distant male voice that sounded quite harsh and drawling... and his eyes widened in shock as he wondered... but no, couldn't be...

Ron leapt out of the bed and went to his window.

"Ron, what is it? Who is it?" Hermione asked from where she remained sitting on his bed.

To his horror, his fears had been realized. Lucius Malfoy's long white hair blew out behind him as he made his way down the path towards The Burrow. His sallow skin reflected the light from the lantern on the front steps. And then there was Draco, walking beside his father, his own white blond hair standing out in the sea of dark night that surrounded the countryside beyond The Burrow. There was no mistaking them, even in the dark. It was them... the Malfoys. They were coming, they'd be arriving any moment. The wards around The Burrow kept them at the front gate when they reached it, but Ron knew that his father would have to go out to meet them when they made their presence known.

Ron turned back to face Hermione, terror etched into his features.

"Who is it, Ron?" Hermione demanded, her voice level but clearly terrified.

"The Malfoys," Ron said, his eyes finding Hermione's.

"What do we do?" Hermione asked urgently, her hand reaching forward to clutch the marriage document that Ron had replaced on his bedside table. She stared down at it as if hoping the answer would leap up from the rune filled page.

"Hermione..." Ron choked out, knowing the answer. There was only one thing they could do... and he knew that Hermione knew it too.

"We haven't done all that we were supposed to do..." Hermione said quietly, not meeting Ron's eyes.

Ron said nothing, just stood with his back to his window, his heart in his throat.

"Ron..." Hermione pleaded, now finally looking up at him.

"I don't want it like this..." Ron whispered.

"We have to. We don't have a choice..." Hermione said through a sob that she tried to hide from Ron.

Silence engulfed them as Ron accepted her words. She was right. There was nothing else they could do.

"Are you sure?" Ron asked as he took one slow step forward.

"Yes..." she whispered. Ron nodded almost imperceptibly, having now accepted what he had to do.

He crossed the room to his bed and stared down at a spot on his blanket near Hermione's knees.

"I'm sorry," he breathed. "I'm so sorry..."

And then he heard it, the voices outside getting closer. And his father's voice, nervously wavering as he escorted the Malfoys up to the house. They were coming. They were coming...

Ron moved quickly, ripping off his shirt and his trousers before he could think about it any longer. His hands shook. His legs shook. He could barely stand, so he leaned forward, allowing his knees to support him on the mattress. His whole body twitched and shivered as he watched Hermione stripping off her own clothes piece by piece. He could hardly stand to watch, but he could hardly stand not to either.

"I'm sorry," he said again, and Hermione shook her head, trying to tell him that he shouldn't be, but she would not look at him. He knew she was scared. So was he. Terrified. But they had no choice... they had no choice...

"Ron..." she breathed, begging him with that one word to continue, to do what they must. Ron leaned down, covering her as she laid back against his pillow. His body hovered over hers and he pressed his lips to hers finally, unable to resist, but also wanting some soft contact to distract him from everything else.

Hermione wiggled underneath him, removing the last bits of clothing that she still wore. Ron copied her, shaking so badly that he could hardly pull off his remaining clothes.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." he whispered repeatedly into her ear as he supported his weight above her with his elbows.

"Shhh..." she hissed gently into his ear and he relaxed just a bit as her warm breath brushed over his tingling skin.

"I promise it'll be better later... I'll..." he closed his eyes, unable to finish.

"I know. It's okay, it's okay," she assured him, and she wrapped her arms around his naked back, rubbing her hands shakily over his bare skin. At the feel of her soft hands on his skin, Ron shivered, his whole body breaking out in goosebumps. And at that moment, he suddenly realized where he was, who he was with... she was under him, naked, her skin pressed against his own... He opened his eyes and swallowed hard, holding his breath without realizing it.

"Are you scared?" he asked her.

"Yes, but I trust you..." she said.

"I love you," Ron whispered, and then he met her eyes for the first time since he had crossed the room from his window.

"I know," she said, smiling nervously. "I love you too."

There was a bang, a door slamming shut downstairs, and Ron's eyes widened.

"It's okay, just do it," Hermione instructed, and Ron searched her eyes one more time before taking a deep breath...

He felt her body tense up at first, her eyes squeezing shut and her forehead creasing in what he could only assume was a reaction to pain.

"Hermione!" he whispered, concerned. "Am I hurting you?"

"No, no, Ron, please..." but her eyes remained tightly shut. He moved slowly, but she pulled him closer and as she began to move against him too, he sped up, knowing that he had to hurry. They were coming... they'd be at his door any moment...

He felt guilty at the immense amounts of pleasure that were flowing through him. His whole body felt like it was on fire. He could barely breath, barely stand to feel this good, knowing that he was probably hurting her. She seemed to relax just a bit as he moved above her, and as he heard footsteps outside, he whispered to her again...

"I'm sorry..." then he closed his eyes, knowing it was almost over.

And then he saw sparks. Behind his closed eyes he saw flickering stars, bursts of light and glittering sparkles, and he nearly collapsed on top of her before he realized that he was crushing her. He rolled to his side, breathing heavily, his body still shaking.

His eyes popped open as he remembered the paper and he swung his legs around to sit on the edge of the bed. He reached for the paper, and his eyes widened.

"It worked!" he shouted, staring in awe down at the document. Their signatures were changing color, slowly turning bright pink. And then, a mere second later, there was a frantic knock on his bedroom door.

He stood and pulled on his boxers and t-shirt, scrambling towards the door.

"Yes?" he called through the closed door as he pushed his arms through the arm holes of his t-shirt. He realized that his shirt was on inside out _and _backwards, but when his father's voice replied "Ron, open the door", he had no time to fix it. He pulled the door open an inch and stared out onto the landing where his father's fierce eyes met Ron's.

"I need the paper. Do you have it?"

"Yes," Ron said, and he returned to the bedside table to retrieve it. He handed it through the door to his father and watched as his father quickly glanced down at the signatures.

"Good," Mr. Weasley said, clearly relieved to see that their signatures were the right color. "Listen to me," he began, looking back up at Ron. "Hermione's in here with you?"

"Yes," Ron said, his ears turning red. But his father didn't take note of it.

"Good," Mr. Weasley said. "Stay here. Do not leave this room until I tell you it's alright to. Understand?"

"Yes," Ron nodded. "The Malfoys are here, aren't they. Downstairs."

"Yes."

"Okay," Ron breathed out heavily.

"Do what I told you. Do not leave this room. Lock the door. Stay quiet and stay where you are."

"Yes, sir," Ron replied in a steady voice. And then his father left them, heading back down the stairs quickly, the marriage document in his hand. Ron closed the door and clicked the lock. He glanced over at his bed where Hermione sat with his blanket pulled up against her bare chest. She was pointing her wand at the door.

"Stand back," she instructed, and Ron obeyed. Ron watched the door as she waved her wand and performed several locking spells on it, increasing their protection inside the room. When Ron turned back to look at her, she gasped slightly. She had been pulling one of Ron's nearby t-shirts over her head and hadn't quite covered herself when he'd turned back towards her.

"Sorry!" he exclaimed, eyes wide. He averted his eyes instantly and waited, his ears burning.

"It's okay," she said quietly. "It's fine now."

Ron took sat down on the edge of the bed. Hermione laid back against the pillow, frightened and anxious. Ron's legs moved up and down. He couldn't stay still. He heard a few sharp breaths behind him where Hermione lay, and he turned to look at her, to be sure she was alright. When his eyes landed on her nervous face, he felt a wave of guilt wash over him.

"I'm sorry, Hermione," he breathed, staring at her, his eyes soft and apologetic.

"You've... done so much for me," she mumbled, blinking quickly.

"What do you mean? What have I done?"

"Everything..." she whispered as her eyes filled with scared tears. Ron moved instantly, crawling across the bed to her. He laid down next to her above the covers and pulled her into his arms. He held her close, her shivering body pressed tightly against him. He pressed his lips to the top of her head through her thick hair.

"I'd do anything for you, Hermione," he mumbled into her hair. He pulled back from her head and scooted down in the bed so their eyes were level. "You're the one who's had to go through this, not me. None of this was a hard decision for me."

"It wasn't for me either," she said, sniffing. "All I wanted was you." She paused for a moment, then continued... "Ron, when I said I had researched it and there was nothing we could do to prevent Malfoy's marriage, I lied. I had researched it, but I had already discovered that if I married someone else, I'd be saved. I didn't want you to know. I knew you'd try to marry me to save me. But I couldn't let you ruin your life for me."

"What?!" Ron yelled in alarm. "You knew about this and you hid it from me?!"

"I couldn't let you do it, Ron!"

"But it's what I wanted!"

"I know that now... I'm sorry-"

"You would have gone with that disgusting git rather than tell me?!"

"No!" Hermione shouted. "Please don't be angry... I don't want to fight. I was only trying to protect you."

"Hermione," Ron began, still upset about what she had tried to do. "You thought you'd be ruining my life by telling me that the only way I could save yours was to marry you?"

Hermione said nothing, but looked away from Ron.

"That's rubbish! How could you not know how much I cared for you?"

"Ron! I'm not a mind reader," Hermione began again, this time somewhat angrily as she glared at him. "What did you expect, that I'd just somehow know how you felt without you ever having to say anything?"

Ron stared at her in silence, knowing that she was right...

"That sure is what it seemed like," Hermione continued. "You were angry about Viktor Krum taking me to the Ball in fourth year, maybe because you were jealous-"

"I _was _jealous!" Ron shouted, but Hermione pressed on as if she hadn't heard him.

"-but you had no right to be angry when you wouldn't even tell me why!"

"Did you actually want me to ask you to the ball, Hermione? Because you sounded like you did. And how was I supposed to know _that_?! You didn't say anything either, you know!"

Hermione glared at Ron, her eyes flickering.

"Fine!" and she sat up. Ron realized he had taken this whole thing too far. How had he let this happen? They had been getting along fine.

"Hermione..." he started as he slowly sat up as well, but she was already climbing out of the bed and collecting her dress and other clothes from Ron's bedroom floor. Ron's t-shirt draped down like a miniature tent over her small frame. "You can't leave the room..." he reminded her. She didn't stop what she was doing however, and when she had collected everything, she crossed Ron's room and sat with a thud on the hardwood floor by his desk. She began to fold her clothes methodically, her eyes cast down at her lap as she worked.

"What are we doing?" Ron asked as he scooted to the edge of his bed. "This is ridiculous. What does it matter who said what first? We're here now aren't we?"

"It does matter, Ron," Hermione said in an annoyed tone, as if she was explaining something very simple to a small child. "What if this had never happened? What if I'd never gotten that letter from the Malfoy? Where would we be now?"

Ron watched as she stacked her folded clothes in her lap. He wasn't sure what she was saying exactly. He would have gotten around to telling her how he felt, wouldn't he? Eventually...

"I don't want to be glad I received that letter, Ron," Hermione said, and Ron's eyes widened. "But I am. Because if I hadn't..."

"I would have said something," Ron insisted.

"Would you?" Hermione asked skeptically as she finally tilted her head up to look at him across the room. "Because I'm not so sure."

"You aren't?" Ron asked, suddenly remembering something. "Because I can prove it to you." He stood quickly, noticing Hermione's confused expression as he made his way to his dresser. He knelt down on the floor in front of it and stretched his hand out under the dresser, straining his fingers to reach something...

When he backed away, he was holding something in his hand that looked like a piece of crumpled parchment. He crawled across the floor to join Hermione in front of his desk. He handed her the parchment.

"Read it," he said, waiting for her to take the parchment from him. She took it, looking even more confused, and smoothed it out over her neatly folded clothes in her lap...

_9 July 1995_

_Hermione,_

_I'm going to send you this letter soon. Then you'll know everything that I want to say but can't._

_I found out a lot of things last year. First, over the summer before school started, I found out that I fancy you. A lot. Then, after the Yule Ball, I discovered that I hate Viktor Krum. I thought I liked him, but now I hope I never see him again. I knew why then but I couldn't tell you the truth. I was bloody jealous of him for going to the ball with you because I don't _just _fancy you... I love you._

_I'm not good at this sort of thing. But you know that. So maybe you won't expect me to be this time either. I don't have a clue how you will feel about all this. That's why it might take me a while, but I promise now, more to myself than to you, that I'm going to tell you as soon as possible._

_I've been hoping that you didn't kiss Krum so I can kiss you first. I don't think you would have, would you? Maybe you should just never tell me. I'm waiting for you to be the first girl I ever get to kiss. I guess I don't know if that will ever even happen. I've never felt like this about anyone before. I don't even want to._

_I have dreams about you now. They started over a year ago. I have always dreamed about you and Harry, but now I have dreams just about you._

_I can't believe I'm writing a letter like this, but I guess I am. And I can only hope that you feel something close to this about me. If you don't, please don't let this change anything. It will be hard, but I can forget it. I can just go back to being your friend, okay?_

_Ron  
_  
Hermione stared at the letter when she had finished reading it, her mouth open in shock.

"I can't believe this..." she mumbled to herself.

"Well, there you go..." Ron said, motioning vaguely to the letter she had just finished reading. "Now do you see?"

Hermione continued to stare at the letter as Ron stood. He heard a loud bang and turned around to look out the window just behind him.

"They're going..." he said, watching closely as Lucius and Draco Malfoy stormed off the Weasleys' property, neither one looking too pleased. Hermione stood up next to Ron and peeked out the window.

"Looks like everything went pretty well," she said, taking in Lucius' enraged expression as he turned the corner with his son.

"Yeah," Ron agreed.

There was a knock on the door and Ron went to answer it. Mr. Weasley stood on the landing looking relieved.

"They're gone," he said. "It's over." He handed Ron the document and Ron nodded.

"Thank you, Dad," he said, "for helping us out."

"Of course," Mr. Weasley replied. "Get some rest," he said, glancing over Ron's shoulder at Hermione where she stood watching them from the middle of Ron's room wearing only one of Ron's large t-shirts.

"Okay," Ron said as his father headed back down the stairs. Ron shut the door and turned to face Hermione. An awkward silence filled the room.

"I'm sorry, Ron, about everything I said. Can we just forget it?" she asked.

"Forget what?" Ron inquired, feigning ignorance.

Hermione smiled up at him and he returned it, but then her expression turned more serious and slightly tentative.

"Ron," she began in a small voice. "I do have to tell you one thing."

"What's that?" Ron asked, curious but not apprehensive.

"Please promise you won't be angry."

"Well," Ron started, feeling a little nervous now. "I can do my best."

Hermione sighed.

"Viktor did kiss me."

Ron felt his stomach drop to his knees.

"He, uh... he did?" His voice didn't even sound like it had come from his own mouth. Hermione nodded.

"I wanted it to be you, Ron," Hermione said as tears formed in the corners of her eyes yet again.

Ron took a deep breath. He wanted to punch something. But he wanted more than anything not to upset Hermione any further. And he had promised to try not to get angry. So he took another deep breath and nodded.

"It's okay," he said. "It's my fault. I was too late."

"It's not your fault, Ron," Hermione said. "I shouldn't have let it happen, but he was really nice to me and he had been the one to ask me to the ball. I didn't know if you even cared about me that way! And when I saw that he was going to kiss me, I just let him."

Ron nodded very slightly but said nothing.

"When I went upstairs to bed, I was so upset that I couldn't sleep. I had always imagined my first kiss with you."

Ron nodded again, then sighed.

"Well, okay," he said slowly. "I don't blame him."

"What?" Hermione asked, confused.

"I don't blame him for wanting to kiss you. You're beautiful."

Hermione blushed furiously.

"Ron..." she started, looking down. She clearly didn't believe him.

"I'm serious."

"You don't have to say that..."

"I know I don't."

"Well, that's nice of you, but really..."

"Hermione!" Ron yelled suddenly, exasperated. "Why can't you just believe me? Do you not want me to think that you're beautiful?"

Hermione's head snapped up.

"Of course I do, Ron! But how am I supposed to believe that? I have eyes you know."

"So do I..." Ron said, looking at her meaningfully.

They stared at each other for a moment. Hermione appeared stunned and embarrassed, but her eyes seemed rather watery again.

"Well then, you should get your eyes checked," Hermione said after a moment, but she was grinning now.

"I just did this summer," Ron joked, grinning as well. "Everything checked out. I have perfect vision."

They stood smiling at each other, a shy sort of silence filling the room. Hermione blinked a few times quickly and Ron scratched the back of his neck nervously.

"You look tired," he said.

Hermione nodded.

"Yeah, me too," Ron admitted. _Now what?_ he wondered. There was really no reason for Hermione to stay in his room any longer... would she want to leave? "Hermione," Ron began softly. "Um, you can go if you want to."

To his surprise, she looked rather hurt at his words and moved her eyes away from him.

"Oh," he heard her say quietly. "Okay..." and she ducked her head and reached down to pick up her folded clothes where she had left them on the floor in front of the desk.

Ron studied her, his eyebrows furrowed. Then it hit him... did she think he _wanted _her to go?!

"Oh! You don't have to go you know!" he shouted rather frantically, his ears burning slightly.

She looked up at him hopefully.

"Well, I don't want to bother you..." she said, her eyes still not quite meeting his.

"No! Hermione..." Ron took a deep breath. "I want you to stay."

She stared up at him, her lips curving slightly at the corners.

"If you want to, that is," Ron added quickly.

Hermione smiled.

"I want to," she said in a tiny voice.

"Okay," Ron said just as softly. Finally, slowly, Hermione dropped her clothes on Ron's desk and walked forward past Ron. She climbed into his bed, scooted all the way against the wall, and reached behind her to fluff his pillow. He turned to watch her, smiling down at her. She glanced up when she felt his eyes on her, and he could tell, even in the dark room, that her cheeks had reddened.

Looking away from her, Ron climbed into the bed next to her and scooted down under the covers so his head rested on the pillow next to Hermione's. He remained on his back, but turned his head to the left to look at Hermione. She was staring at him, lying on her side facing him.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked her, and she gave him a soft smile.

"About how much our lives have changed in the past day," she answered. Ron nodded slightly against the pillow. He then turned onto his side so he could face Hermione completely. He had to tuck his arm under his pillow and behind his head because he couldn't think of another logical place to put it. Hermione scooted closer to him and he stretched his arm out under the pillow and under her head.

After a moment, Hermione leaned in even closer and Ron shifted onto his back so he could pull her against his side. She rested her head on his shoulder and allowed her legs to drape slightly over Ron's. He felt his heart beating faster again as they laid there in silence.

"Hermione," Ron whispered, pulling his left arm out from under the pillow so he could run his fingers through Hermione's hair.

"Mmm..." Her voice was muffled against Ron's shirt.

"I just wanted to say... I uh..." Ron paused and bit his lip. "I really am sorry about earlier and..." He sighed. "I just... want to make it up to you..."

Hermione shifted against Ron awkwardly, not sure exactly what he meant, but feeling nervous about discussing what she thought he might be talking about.

"What do you mean, Ron?" she asked in a sleepy voice.

"Uh, well... what we had to uh... to do for the... uh..." Ron couldn't bring himself to continue. His skin burned with embarrassment.

"Oh," Hermione said as she shifted again, her head still tucked against him. He couldn't see her face.

Ron wanted to disappear, he was so embarrassed. He closed his eyes, hoping to just pretend like he was no longer in the room. He wasn't sure now how he had even managed to look at her right afterwards. Now that he had brought it up, how was he going to get past this? He silently swore at himself, wishing he could take back what he'd just said. But then Hermione moved away from his shoulder, bringing her eyes up to meet his...

"It's okay, Ron, and next time will be better," Hermione then ducked quickly back down to Ron's shoulder. He was sure he had seen her blushing furiously just as she had turned away.

Ron swallowed hard. His insides were tingling uncontrollably and his stomach was fluttering wildly. He remained completely still, his left hand tangled in Hermione's hair.

"Thank you," Ron heard her whisper finally. "For everything."


	6. Summertime Clothes

**Chapter 5 – Summertime Clothes**

Early morning light drifted lazily through Ron's bedroom window the next morning. There was a calm atmosphere hovering over the Burrow, and as Ron's eyes cracked open slowly, he felt oddly relaxed. He was momentarily shocked to find Hermione lying right beside him and staring right at him, her eyes open wide as if she had been awake for hours. But his eyes softened as his senses kicked in, her warmth beside him making him almost dizzy with pleasure.

"Good morning," she croaked, then cleared her throat.

Ron grinned and nodded very slightly, sure that his morning voice wouldn't be able to force out real words just yet. Hermione started to sit up in the bed. Ron wished that she wouldn't. It was so warm and comfortable with her wrapped up beside him, her legs tangled with his under the blanket. But she yawned and stretched, pulling her legs out from under the blanket and climbing over Ron to stand next to the bed.

Ron rolled onto his stomach sleepily and moved over slightly towards the wall, pressing his face into the pillow where Hermione had just been. He breathed in deeply, not really concerned with whether or not she could tell what he was doing. After a long moment, he flipped over to stare up at Hermione. She was still only wearing his large t-shirt, the hem of it coming almost all the way down to her knees. She was now looking into a small mirror on Ron's dresser top, running her fingers through her wild hair.

Ron smiled at her, though she couldn't see him from where she stood with her back partially to him. He sat up and swung his legs out of the bed, his feet hitting the thin rug in front of the bed. After a moment, Hermione turned around to face him, looking quite disgusted.

"What?" Ron asked, his voice scratchy. Hermione shook her head and sighed. Her cheeks had turned slightly pink.

"Just my stupid hair," she said. "It's… well," she paused and glanced away from Ron, looking a little flustered. "I've never been around anyone in the morning … you know, before brushing it or..." She paused, looking down, then continued, "other than my parents that is, and they're quite used to it… I suppose my dorm mates at school have seen glimpses but…" she shrugged as she trailed off.

Ron tried not to grin as he swept his eyes more slowly over Hermione's extremely out of order hair. He stood and crossed the room to her. Then, not really thinking about what he was doing, he reached up and ran his fingers through her hair slowly. He could tell Hermione's cheeks had turned a much deeper shade of red even though she wasn't looking at him, but he didn't stop.

Perhaps it was because he wasn't fully awake yet that he didn't feel embarrassed about Hermione seeing him display his affection for her so blatantly, or maybe it was because of everything else that had happened in the last two days…

"Well," Ron began, chuckling softly, his fingers still working through her hair slowly. "You could probably win a record right now for biggest hair. That's something to be proud of I reckon." Ron couldn't stop himself from grinning as he spoke.

Hermione scoffed and moved away from Ron to gather her clothes from his desk.

"Only joking," Ron tried, still laughing slightly. But Hermione pushed past him towards the door. "Hermione!" he called before she opened the door. "Look at mine."

She turned back around looking puzzled. Ron pointed at his head.

"I'm just saying, my hair's not exactly perfect in the morning either," Ron said, running a hand through his thick ginger hair. Where it had already been standing up on end, it was now at least twice as bad. Hermione appeared torn between keeping up the appearance of still being offended by Ron's comment about her hair and finding Ron's hair amusing enough to laugh out loud about. The result was a stifled giggle that she tried to hide by squeezing her lips tightly together.

"See?" Ron said, now grinning broadly at her.

She rolled her eyes as she turned back towards the door, but was unable to hide her own grin from Ron. He let her go this time, smiling after her.

*****************************************************

When Ron arrived downstairs for breakfast fully dressed, Hermione wasn't at the table yet. His mother and father were sitting very solemnly at either end of the table however, and neither one had said a word to Ron yet.

"Morning," Ron said after a moment, glancing from his mother to his father. Now that the silence had finally been broken, it seemed that his mother was able to let out the breath she had been holding.

"How are you, dear?" she asked in a concerned sounding voice.

"Fine," Ron said honestly. His mum nodded slowly.

"Oh!" she said abruptly, looking over Ron's head towards the kitchen door. "Good morning, dear."

Ron turned to see Hermione entering the room in a white tank top and jean shorts. He blinked several times to stop himself from staring at her as she moved to sit next to him at the table. _She's wearing far too little,_ he thought as she scooted her chair closer to the table… But then he corrected himself. _Well, far too little for me to be able to concentrate on anything else now that she's in the room…_

As she gave him a small smile and begin to tuck into her food, it flashed through his mind that the girl sitting next to him was his wife. He shook his head to clear it as this thought tried to sink in unsuccessfully. His wife! It sounded so… strange. He was fifteen years old. This wasn't supposed to be happening to him. But he grinned as he tucked into his food as well, an odd feeling of contentment washing over him. It was perfect somehow, no matter how strange, no matter how unusual…

Harry and Ginny came down to breakfast moments later and the six of them sat in comfortable silence as they ate, though Ron caught both Harry and Ginny flashing him and Hermione questioning glances multiple times that they tried to hide when they saw Ron noticing them.

After breakfast, Ron stretched and stood from the table first, glancing at Hermione. Their eyes met and she stood from the table as well. The two of them walked silently towards the front door before Hermione spoke.

"Where are we going?" she asked, smiling softly up at him.

"I thought we could go for a walk."

"Okay."

Harry and Ginny came through the kitchen door into the hallway where Ron and Hermione were standing.

"Care for a swim later?" Ginny asked, looking at Hermione.

"Yeah, that sounds nice," Hermione said and Ron nodded.

"Well, we're off to feed Hedwig," Ginny said, smiling at Hermione. "See you later." And they disappeared up the stairs, Harry giving Ron and Hermione both a long and meaningful look before he followed Ginny out of the hall.

*****************************************************

Ron and Hermione walked along the path for several long moments before either of them spoke. Now that they were outside alone together and both fully awake, he wasn't as confident as he had been in his room that morning. He really didn't know what to say to her. He felt like he had things on his mind that he'd like to share with her, but he had no idea how to start talking about any of them. He also wished in a way that he could start up a conversation about something totally unrelated to recent events, but he wasn't sure if it was alright to change the subject from what he knew was on both of their minds…

When they had reached the shed, Ron looked down at her and stopped walking. He scratched the back of his neck, looking nervous.

"What is it, Ron?" Hermione asked, slight concern in her voice.

"Oh, nothing," he said, smiling slightly. "I uh, just feel a little…"

"…strange?" Hermione attempted, and Ron nodded.

"Dunno," he started. "It's odd because things seem so… normal… but… well, they aren't," he finished, hoping that Hermione could make any sense of what he had just said.

"I think I know what you mean," she said and he nodded, relieved that he didn't have to keep rambling to explain himself. "Everything changed so fast," she added and Ron nodded more enthusiastically this time. "A couple of days ago I was thinking how I wanted to tell you that I fancied you but wasn't sure you'd feel the same way and I didn't know how to tell you…" her face turned very pink and she trailed off.

"Yeah, same here," Ron admitted shyly.

Hermione shook her head, rolling her eyes slightly.

"If only people could know things like that without really knowing them," she said, biting her lip. Ron stared at her, blinking.

"What?" he asked, totally puzzled. She laughed and shook her head again.

"It's just that the only reason why we didn't say anything to each other before was because we were scared about what the other person's reaction might be. But if we had known how the other was feeling, it wouldn't have mattered. It would have made it so much easier to do it. But if I had known how you felt, and it wasn't what I'd wanted, if you hadn't fancied me back," Hermione and Ron both blushed deeper shades of red, "then I would want to know it only so I wouldn't make a fool out of myself by saying something to you and ruining our friendship." She paused and bit her lip again. "It's all just so complicated."

"Not anymore," Ron said. And Hermione grinned shyly up at him. "And it wouldn't have ruined anything," Ron added.

"But how do you know?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow. "You _did_ fancy me back."

"That's true," said Ron, his ears very red, "but if you hadn't fancied _me_ and I'd told _you_… it would have been weird, but if you hadn't changed how you looked at me afterwards then I would have gotten used to it and would have still wanted to be your friend."

"Maybe not in the same way as we were," Hermione said thoughtfully. "Believe me. I thought all this through quite a lot, which is why you hadn't gotten too many letters from me this summer before… well, before the one a couple of days ago."

"Oh?" Ron began. "That does explain it. I was a little worried about you to be honest. When two weeks go by without a letter, I know something's not right." He grinned at her.

"Like you wrote to me every week," Hermione said sarcastically, rolling her eyes again.

"Well, maybe I would have if I didn't over think everything and wonder if it would be too obvious for me to write to you that often. You might have started to wonder if I fancied you, because I know Harry doesn't write to you that often over the summers."

Hermione stared blankly up at Ron for a second.

"Are you joking?" she asked finally.

He shook his head but looked away from her, slightly embarrassed. She giggled.

"Oh, I'm so glad that's all over!" she exclaimed, still laughing.

"Yeah," Ron mumbled. "Me too." When he looked down at her again, she was grinning up at him happily and he returned it.

"Shall we keep walking?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, okay," Ron said, but before they started to move, he reached out and took her hand.

Hermione stared up at him for a moment, joy evident on her face. Ron shrugged and they started to walk hand in hand down the path again, away from the Burrow.

"We shouldn't go too far," Ron said after a moment. "We have to stay within the wards."

Hermione nodded. Even though they were safe for now, there was no telling what plans might be forming at the Malfoy house. Hermione shivered slightly at the thought.

"Ron," she began. "What do you think the Malfoys are doing right now?"

Ron thought hard for a moment. He had vaguely considered that they might be planning some sort of revenge on his family for what they had done, but he had managed not to think about it much since Lucius and Draco had left the night before, both fuming.

"Dunno," Ron answered thoughtfully. "I reckon they haven't gotten over what we did yet. They don't strike me as the forgiving type."

"No," Hermione added darkly, shaking her head. "They definitely don't."

"Whatever happens," Ron began, "we'll be fine at Hogwarts with Dumbledore there. And the wards here will keep them out unless someone lets them in, and I doubt anyone is likely to let any of the Malfoy gits past the wards again."

Hermione nodded.

"You're right," she said, but she had a sinking feeling in her stomach about returning to Hogwarts. Chances were good that Draco would be back to school on September 1 with the rest of the students. She dreaded returning to school, not wanting to even see him again, much less attend classes with him… Ron seemed to read her mind though as he looked over at her.

"Don't worry," he said, stopping and turning to look down at her. "It'll be fine. If he comes back to school in the fall, which would be really thick of him to do after what he tried to do to you, then I'll hex him if he comes near you."

Hermione smiled as Ron looked seriously down at her.

"Well, with you to protect me, I have nothing to worry about," Hermione said with a grin, but Ron narrowed his eyes at her.

"Was that sarcasm?" he asked, though the corners of his mouth were twitching slightly.

"Not at all," Hermione said. "Anyone who's willing to throw up slugs for me will do just fine."

They smiled at each other for a long moment before Ron tugged on Hermione's hand and turned around to head back towards the Burrow.

"How about that swim?" he asked.

"Great," Hermione said. "It's so hot out today."

She tugged at the front of her shirt, pulling it away from her body and allowing it to pop back into place to create a bit of air flow against her skin. Being so much taller than Hermione, Ron's eyes were in the perfect position to see down her shirt for a brief moment while the thin cotton of her top was flying away from her body. His cheeks heated up significantly and he looked away quickly. He hadn't even meant to see what he had, but he wasn't complaining now that he had. He let out a shaky breath, hoping that Hermione hadn't heard him. If she had, she said nothing about it, and they soon reached the front steps again.

Hermione let go of Ron's hand as they reached the door.

"I'll get Ginny, we'll change clothes and meet you and Harry down here," Hermione said.

Ron nodded, his mind still a bit preoccupied by what he had just seen…

*****************************************************

Fifteen minutes later, all four of them were heading down to the lake, their bathing suits under their clothes, towels draped over their arms. Ron's heart beat quickened at the thought of seeing Hermione in a bathing suit. It wasn't as if he hadn't seen her before, but in the past, he hadn't been allowed to notice or he'd been too young to be aware of the pleasure he could be taking in watching her. He wasn't even sure now if he was allowed to look at her, but he wasn't nearly as worried about being caught staring as he had been in the past, and it was quite a thrill to know that in seconds, they'd be half naked in the lake together…

His mind returned to the night before, to the desperate measures they had taken for the marriage document. He had been trying not to think about it, not to feel anything at all about what they had done. It wasn't a very perfect situation after all. It had been so fast and under such enormous pressure that he hadn't even gotten to appreciate it properly, and he didn't want to remember how wonderful it had felt when he knew that he had probably hurt Hermione and that she probably hadn't enjoyed herself at all.

His face burned as they reached the lake. He hoped she wouldn't notice and question him. He would have rather talked about literally anything else at the moment… It was far too embarrassing to imagine actually having a real conversation with her about what had happened the night before…

While his mind had been preoccupied, Hermione had started to undress. He quickly realized what was happening right in front of him and his eyes widened slightly as she stepped out of her shorts, revealing the small two piece bathing suit that she was wearing underneath. He hadn't seen her in anything quite like that before…

He suddenly became aware that Ginny was smirking at him and he blushed furiously, looking away.

"She borrowed one of mine," Ginny mumbled to Ron as she passed by him on her way to the shore. Ron had to look away from her quickly as his face was surely the color of a raddish…

Ginny and Harry undressed in seconds and both cannonballed into the water, one right after the other. Hermione approached the edge of the lake, then looked back at Ron where he stood, still fully dressed, behind her.

"You coming or not?" she asked, smiling at him. He nodded, his throat suddenly abnormally dry.

Hermione jumped into the lake, and he started to undress, quickly becoming aware of the fact that he was the only one left on the shore and that everyone was watching him from the water, most of all Hermione. He tried not to meet her eyes as he pulled off his shirt, and he quickly jumped into the lake, going completely under before he came up to look at her, water dripping from his hair into his face. Harry and Ginny had distracted themselves from Ron and Hermione with a splash fight several feet away from where Ron had landed in front of Hermione in the water.

Ron smiled lopsidedly at Hermione, and slowly, as she stared back at him, he noticed her eyes beginning to water. Her eyebrows knitted together slightly as if she was trying to hold back tears. Ron's smile faded from his face as he stared back at her, treading water. He opened his mouth to say something but didn't get the chance before…

"I love you," she mouthed, her bottom lip trembling ever so slightly. And then she had moved forward, closing the gap between them and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. He kicked his feet more rapidly under the water, trying to stay afloat as she hugged him. He swallowed thickly, his stomach swirling with butterflies at her mouthed words and at her smooth skin which was now pressed against his chest. She pulled back from him after a second, noticing his struggle to keep above water.

"Sorry," she said softly, laughing under her breath and wiping at her eyes. A blush was slowly creeping onto her cheeks. But Ron suddenly found himself unable to contain himself any longer. The way she had looked at him, her silent words, how much he knew that she loved him… it almost hurt to not be touching her, to not be holding her as he had just been doing, no matter how hard it had been to keep from drowning in the process.

He pushed forward in the water in a flash, bringing his right hand around to the back of her head and crushing his lips onto hers. She let out a surprised squeak before melting into his touch, her lips moving against his slowly… and then they were starting to sink…

Ron pulled back from her reluctantly and kicked faster under the water, his hands now joining in to keep him above the surface.

"Take a breath," Hermione whispered, smiling.

He gave her a confused half-smile, but she breathed in deeply, then moved towards him. He took a deep breath at the last moment before her lips met his, and then they were sinking under the surface. He closed his eyes just as his head slipped under the water. He immediately found that without having to worry about staying above the water, he could pull her all the way against his body. His legs wrapped around hers and his hand tangled in her hair as he held the back of her head. But all too soon, he needed air and sensed that she did too. She pulled back and surfaced just before he did. He spit out a bit of water and breathed in deeply as his head emerged from the water.

And then he heard clapping. He turned his head to the left to see Harry and Ginny both laughing and clapping simultaneously, Ginny doing the most dramatic job of the two, shouting the occasional 'bravo'. And then he was laughing too and so was Hermione.

"Gits!" he yelled through a grin as he dove under the water towards his sister and Harry. When he surfaced, he did so with a flourish of his arm that sent a wave of water washing over both Harry and Ginny. They retaliated by splashing and kicking water back at him. But before Ron had the chance to wonder if Hermione was still behind him, she was coming up out of the water right behind Harry where only Ron could see her. He tried not to make it obvious that he had seen her when her mischievous eyes met his. And then, in one swift motion, both of her hands moved up to push down on Harry's head and he fell under, a muffled "hey!" escaping from his mouth before she had successfully dunked him.

*****************************************************

An hour later, Ginny and Harry climbed out of the lake and began to dry off, but Ron was in no hurry to get back up to the Burrow, especially now that he was alone in the lake with Hermione. She locked eyes with him and he knew in an instant that she was thinking the same thing.

"Oy!" Ron called to Ginny and Harry where they were now wrapping towels around their bodies and collecting their clothes. "We're going to stay down here for a bit."

Harry gave Ron a sly smile and Ginny winked at them.

"Right," Ginny said. "You two behave," she added as she took Harry's arm, the two of them turning their backs on the lake and heading back along the path towards the Burrow.


	7. Signs

**Chapter 6 - First Sign**

The sun began to set and as a light breeze blew through the trees, Hermione shivered in the water.

"Cold?" Ron asked, and she nodded.

His hands moved away from where they rested on her back.

"Let's go in," he said, separating from her and pushing off the bottom towards the lake's edge. Hermione followed him and they quickly reached for their towels, but not before Ron managed a brief glance at Hermione. He blinked several times and tried to concentrate on drying his hair as he slipped his feet into his shoes. But he couldn't stop the flashes of what he had just seen from flying through his mind... beads of water rolling down her neck and chest, her back stretching as she raised her arms to throw the towel around her half-naked body, pink and orange rays of the setting sun glowing off her wet stomach...

They walked silently back up to the Burrow, both a bit tired from swimming. Dinner was ready when they walked through the front door into the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley was just setting out plates. She jumped slightly when Ron and Hermione entered the room, but she smiled briefly at them to acknowledge their presence.

"Smells great," Ron said as he stared into the kitchen where his mother was moving large pots of potatoes and chicken onto the counter.

"Go on and change and come down. It's all ready," Mrs. Weasley said as she continued to move around the kitchen distractedly, not really looking at Ron or Hermione. Ron caught his father's eye where he sat at the end of the table, flipping through a Daily Prophet. His father shrugged and shook his head, signifying that Ron didn't need to be worried about his mother. He figured she was still getting used to the idea of her youngest son being _married_...

Ron and Hermione separated at Ginny's door on the second landing so they could both change out of their bathing suits and into dry clothes. Ron met her again in on the first landing.

"You okay?" he asked, though he had no reason to. She was smiling at him, her hair even more wild than usual from their swim.

"Yes, great," she said nodding. "You?" Ron grinned.

"Great," he echoed, then he took her hand and they walked down to the kitchen together.

* * *

The first half of dinner was fairly quiet. Hermione and Ron both looked a little pinker than normal as they kept noticing people around the table chancing glances their way. It was as if they were on display but no one wanted to make it obvious that they were.

"So," Mr. Weasley started, clearing his throat, clearly trying to save Ron and Hermione from any more embarrassment. "We've got school supplies to buy for everyone soon, haven't we, Molly?"

"Yes, dear," she said, nodding.

Hermione went very still next to Ron and he glanced over at her, wondering what she was thinking. He didn't have to wonder for long.

"Mr. Weasley," she began in a small voice, "do you think it would be possible for me to see my parents before we go back to school? I know they're worried. We didn't really tell them a thing about what was happening, and now I need to explain to them..."

Mr. Weasley nodded.

"Of course, don't know why I didn't think of that," he said. "I'm sorry, Hermione. Yes, we can go any time you like."

Fred glanced at Ron who was looking extra pale all of a sudden. The idea of going to Hermione's house and telling her parents that he was now _married _to her... he would probably rather jump out his bedroom window. But he knew that she'd want him there, wouldn't she? After all, this was going to be really hard for her. He should be there for her.

"Hermione," he said quietly. "Do you want me to go with you?"

Hermione shrugged as she continued to eat, her face turned down.

"Well, in that case, we should all probably buy tickets to Ron's funeral now before they sell out," said George. Fred snickered.

Ginny shot Fred a stern glare. Harry looked over at Ron.

Ron felt his face getting hotter, but when he noticed that Hermione was simply staring down at her plate silently, he knew that she must feel even worse than he did about this whole conversation. And of course George had to go and make a joke out of the whole thing, as if it wasn't hard enough for Hermione to imagine facing her parents with such shocking news... And of course _Fred_ would laugh too...

_Stupid gits..._ Ron thought.

As Hermione continued to stare down at her plate, her face turning redder by the second, Ron glared at George across the table. George looked as if he was coming up with another line. _Shut up,_ Ron thought as his eyes narrowed and his fists clenched involuntarily under the table. _Shut up!_

"George!" Mrs. Weasley suddenly jumped to her feet and rushed to George's chair. It took a moment for Ron to realize what was happening. George's eyes bulged in his head and he rubbed his tightly shut mouth with his hand. "George! Move your hand!"

George moved his hand away from his mouth as all the other Weasleys stared, shocked, at George. His lips were tightly pressed together and looked almost glued shut. Clearly, he couldn't open his mouth. He made a rather desperate sound and he moved his jaw around as if hoping he could unstick his mouth by commanding it to do so. But he was having no luck.

Mrs. Weasley reached for her wand and aimed it at George's mouth. A flash and an instant later, his lips popped apart and he sat in shock for a second, his mouth hanging open.

"Blimey," said Fred, a hint of a repressed chuckle in his tone. And then George began to grin.

"Whatever that was, we must harness its power," George said, now fully recovered.

"Who did this?" Mrs. Weasley demanded, glancing around from one of her children to the next.

"Are you okay?" Ginny asked, still looking at George, concerned.

"Just dandy," George said, grinning slightly. "Come on, who's handy work was that?"

Ron stared, completely bewildered, as George looked around the table.

"Sorry," Ron said suddenly, "uh, going to the... loo," and he got up and left the table. But he didn't stop at the loo. He continued up to his room. His mind was racing. What had just happened? One minute he had been glaring at George, wishing that he'd just shut up... _wishing _it...

He shook his head furiously and began to pace his room the moment he entered it. He hadn't lost control like that before, not since before Hogwarts anyway. If _he_ had done it... if it had been his fault...

"Ron?" Hermione appeared in Ron's doorway, quickly followed by Harry. "What happened?"

"I don't know!" Ron shouted, his forehead creased as he stopped pacing and turned to face Harry and Hermione. "I..."

"Did you do that to George, mate?" Harry asked curiously.

"No!" Ron paused, thinking. "Maybe... I don't know!"

"Ron, what are you-" Hermione started, but Ron shouted again...

"I don't know what happened! One minute he was making a joke and the next..." Ron ran his hand through his hair. He felt so frustrated and confused. What was going on?

Harry stared at Ron for a moment, thinking...

"He made that joke..."

"About Ron's funeral," Hermione finished, blushing a little.

"Yeah, and then..." Harry's eyes widened. "Did you have your wand in your hand, Ron?"

Ron shook his head.

"I just..." Ron sighed. "I wanted him to shut up. He was making Hermione feel really bad! I was thinking it, _shut up, shut up_... and then..." Ron looked helplessly from Harry to Hermione.

"Then it just happened," Hermione said. Ron nodded. "Ron," she continued after a moment of silent thought. "I think I might know what happened." Her eyes widened as she brushed past Ron to the bedside table where Ron had replaced the marriage documents after his father had returned them earlier.

Ron watched her as she sat on the edge of his bed and flipped through the documents. Harry and Ron exchanged a slightly confused glance, but then sudden it hit Ron what she was looking for.

"You don't think... that the blood thing we did has something to do with this?" he asked hesitantly.

Hermione didn't answer right away. She continued to flip through the document, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Do you know what it says? Can you read that?" Harry asked, staring down at the rune filled pages that Hermione was looking through.

"Some of it," she said, but then suddenly her eyes widened again. "Ron," she said, looking up at him now, "remember what Bill said about you being able to control me? Well, I think this is saying-" she gestured to the page that was open on her lap "-that there is a new magic created by the marriage so that you can stop other people from helping me. Say someone saw how you were treating me-"

Ron looked horrified and interrupted.

"How I'm treating you?! I'm not-"

"I know, Ron, this is just the theory," Hermione said reassuringly. Ron didn't look completely convinced though as she continued. "If someone sympathized with my situation, they might have tried to free me or help me to escape, or at least to stop whatever abuse they thought was going on."

Harry seemed to be catching on. He nodded at Hermione as she continued.

"But because I belong to you now, Ron-"

Ron flinched. Hermione ignored him and went on.

"-if you view someone as a potential threat to what you want for me, you can... stop them."

"So you think Ron involuntarily sealed George's mouth shut because he thought George was upsetting you?" Harry asked. Hermione nodded.

"Something like that, yeah."

"But that's not what it meant, is it? That document, it means that I would be able to stop someone from _protecting_ you, not to stop them from _hurting_ you," Ron said.

"That's true," Hermione agreed. "That's what was intended. But at the time, no one would agree to a marriage like this unless they were planning to harm the person that they took as their wife. The wizard only wanted to marry a Muggle-born witch so that he would be able to enslave her. I don't think that the curse required them to build it in such a way that it would prevent the husband from protecting his wife. That wouldn't fit with the whole idea of the law."

"Curse?" Ron repeated, a disgusted look on his face.

"Well, technically it is a curse, Ron," Hermione said calmly. "But we aren't using it how it was meant to be used."

"I think you're right, Hermione," Harry agreed, then he looked at Ron. "How else would you have been able to do something like that to George without a wand _and _without speaking out loud?"

"Yeah..." Ron said, sure that they were right, but not sure that he wanted to admit that he had just used this new magic that had been created by a document that he despised the sound of, no matter what his reasons had been.

"We should test it," Hermione said.

"Test it?" Ron asked, not sure how she planned to do that.

"Yes. Harry can do something threatening and we can see how you react to it," Hermione said. But Harry shook his head furiously.

"No bloody way I'm letting Ron stick my lips together," he said seriously.

"Yeah, that's not going to work," Ron agreed.

"But we can set it up however we like, plan what you'll do when it happens. We can force it to work, and you'll know it's not real. You won't be doing anything harmful to Harry." Ron and Harry still looked skeptical. "You'll have to use your imagination a bit, Ron," Hermione added, ignoring them.

"I dunno," Ron said, glancing at Harry. Silence filled the room for a moment before Harry spoke…

"We'll have to find a place to do this where no one will see what we're doing. I think you'll have a hard time explaining to Ron's family why we're testing blood marriage laws on each other," Harry said. Ron stared at him.

"You sure about this, Harry?" Ron asked, still looking uncertain.

"Not really," Harry admitted. "But I trust Hermione, don't you?"

Ron nodded and smiled down at Hermione.

"Okay, we can practice in the woods. We could use the shed but we might need to spread out," Hermione said.

"I really don't like the sound of this," Ron began, "but I trust you too, Hermione, so just make sure Harry isn't going to lose a finger, and I'll do whatever you say."

Harry shivered slightly.

"Remind me not to mention Viktor Krum then..."

Ron glared at Harry.

"Oh, hell, what am I thinking?" Harry groaned.

Hermione looked away from them, trying to hide her smile.


	8. Deal

**_A/N: _**_I just realized earlier today that I said in a previous chapter that Ron was only fifteen, but in reality, summer after fifth year (when this story is supposed to take place), he would be sixteen and Hermione almost seventeen (in September). So I thought I'd just clear that up really quick because I will eventually get to Hermione's seventeenth birthday in this and I didn't want anyone to be confused. Enjoy!_

**Chapter 7 - Deal**

Soon after their conversation in Ron's room, Hermione left Harry and Ron and darted down to Ginny's room to start planning the following day. She wanted to visit her parents, maybe for dinner, but in the morning, they had to start testing whatever it was that was happening to Ron. Though Hermione had very confidently presented her plan to Ron and Harry moments before, she wasn't nearly as sure of what she was getting them into as she had seemed now that she was sitting on the edge of the camp bed in Ginny's room and frantically flipping the pages of every book she had with her.

She had to be ready, had to make sure nothing was going to go wrong. Whatever this was, whatever was happening with Ron, it was because of that marriage document... she was sure of that. But, as the original law had been banned so long ago, she wasn't optimistic that she would be able to find anything about how this type of magic was supposed to work or what the dangers might be. She had no idea how powerful it was, how intense... and it scared her a bit to think that they were getting into something that no one else could really help them with... not without bringing up their situation to those same wizards who actually _wanted _the law to remain in place... the enslavement of Muggle-born witches...

She had been reading for about half an hour when she heard a light knock on the half-open door to Ginny's room. She jumped and looked up, startled by the sudden interruption. Ron stood in the doorway, peering in at her shyly.

"Hi," he said after a moment.

"Hi," she echoed with a smile.

"Can I come in?" Ron asked, and Hermione smiled wider, thinking how adorable it was that Ron was standing there looking in at her, but still asking her permission to come closer.

"Yes," Hermione said as she glanced back down at the book in her lap. She felt Ron moving closer as she scanned the page of her book for the place where she had left off. He sat on the bed to her left, and it sagged and jostled her for a moment as he settled on the edge of the mattress.

"Find anything?" Ron asked, looking over at the book in Hermione's hands. She shook her head, but flipped the page and continued to scan the text.

"I don't think I will, honestly," she admitted, but she once again turned the page and stared down at the tiny words intently.

"Yeah," Ron agreed. "Don't reckon anyone wants to go around writing about something so disgusting." Ron wrinkled up his nose and glared at the book with hatred.

Finally, sighing, Hermione closed the book and set it on top of a large pile of discarded books on the floor.

"Ron," she said, turning to face him now. "Can I ask you something?"

"Go on," Ron said, though he sounded apprehensive.

"Do you think..." she paused and bit her lip. Ron tried not to panic. "I'm just not sure if people will understand what we've done."

Ron stared at her, waiting for her to continue.

"So, what I'm asking is... do you think it would be alright if we sort of... kept this between us when we get back to Hogwarts?" Hermione looked away from him, her cheeks a little flushed. Ron opened his mouth to reply, but she continued before he had the chance. "I just want you to know that it's got nothing to do with me not wanting people to know we're together, because that's not at all with this is about. You know that, right?" Hermione asked seriously as she looked back over at Ron.

"Yeah," Ron said, though his voice was scratchy.

"I'm just... I suppose it's me. I don't want people to know... that..." Hermione trailed off, but Ron was starting to understand how she felt.

"It's not you that would look like a prat in that situation though," Ron said. "If people found out I mean," he added.

"I know... I just don't want..." She trailed off again, but Ron nodded.

"You don't have to explain it to me, Hermione," he said gently. "I understand."

A small wave of relief washed over her face as she gave Ron a small smile.

"Besides," Ron continued, "_I_ don't really fancy looking like the biggest prat ever all year anyway."

Hermione gave a small laugh and nodded.

"No," she said. "I guess that wouldn't be a great way to spend the year."

Ron smiled.

"But," Hermione continued after a second, "I don't see why we have to go around pretending to just be friends either." She blushed and so did Ron, but he was still smiling at her.

"So you mean I can... I dunno... kiss you in the hallway?"

Hermione laughed, but nodded again.

"Brilliant," Ron said with a grin.

"But," Hermione continued more sternly, "we _are _prefects, Ron, so we have to set an example."

Ron laughed.

"Okay, I'll make sure to remember that," he said somewhat sarcastically, but Hermione glared at him and he grinned back at her. "Okay, okay," Ron said, holding up his hands defensively. "Besides, I know you won't let me snog you in the middle of the Great Hall or anything," Ron concluded, his ears turning bright red.

"No, sure won't," Hermione said, but she was grinning now too.

"Maybe you should write me a rule book so I'll know what I can and can't do," Ron said.

"You'll know," Hermione said very seriously, and then suddenly they were both laughing.

A soft knock on the bedroom door interrupted their fit, and they looked up to find Harry standing there in the door frame.

"Sorry to interrupt... whatever it was that you were doing..." Harry said, raising an eyebrow.

Ron chuckled and Hermione shoved him playfully as Harry entered the room.

"Hey!" Ron shouted at Harry as he approached them. "Some of us actually have the decency to _ask _if we can come into a girl's room before just waltzing in uninvited."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Harry began sarcastically as he sat on the bed next to Ron. "Were you referring to yourself, because I don't think I'd use the word _decent _to describe you."

Hermione shook her head, but smiled at the two of them.

"I'm a very decent person," Ron said with a nod. Harry snorted.

"Are you?"

"Yeah!"

"Oh. Could have fooled me."

"Shut it, Harry!"

Hermione laughed.

"Knock it off," she said playfully. "You're both decent... sometimes. And Harry, you don't have to ask to come in if you've already knocked and the door's open. That's sort of a rule."

"What?" Ron said suddenly, turning to look at Hermione with his eyebrows raised. "So you mean I could have just strolled in?"

Hermione shrugged, but blushed slightly.

"Ron, I think the rules are a little different for you," she said after a moment.

"Wait, so _I_ have to ask, but _Harry _can just do whatever he likes?" Ron asked, a bit annoyed.

"No," Hermione said, rolling her eyes and blushing even deeper.

"Then... what are you on about?" Ron demanded.

"Ron, you're... we're..." she shrugged again. "You don't really have to _knock_ either."

Ron blinked at her, confused.

"What are you saying?" he asked. Harry laughed.

"Stop being thick," Harry said as he scooted back against the wall behind the bed. "She's saying that because you're married, it doesn't matter that she's a girl. You can just walk in on her changing if you like."

Ron turned very red.

"Oh," he said softly.

"Oh," Harry mimicked, grinning at Ron and Hermione's red faces.

Hermione reached down for another book at random, not looking at Ron or Harry, trying to hide her blush. Ron tried to distract himself by picking at a bit of frayed blanket on the camp bed.

"So," Harry said, breaking the silence and attempting to break the tension at the same time. "Have you found anything?"

"No. There are references in some places to the law, but none that speak about what it can do," Hermione said as she opened the book to a random page and began to scan it again.

"Right," Harry said, not looking very surprised. "Didn't think you'd find anything."

"Should we really go through with this without having any idea what might happen?" Ron asked, his voice a little scratchy.

"There's only one way to figure this out. It's doubtful that any book will talk about it, right?" Harry asked and Hermione shrugged. "Then the only way to find out what it means, what it can do, is to test it. We can't very well go around asking people about it, can we."

"Not really," Ron said. He paused, bit his lip, then chanced a glance in Hermione's direction. "So when do we start?"

"Tomorrow morning," Hermione said, still staring intently at the book in her lap. Ron and Harry both nodded. "I want to see my parents tomorrow night, maybe for dinner," Hermione added. Ron paled a little, but nodded again.

"Right," Harry said as he pushed off the mattress. "I'm going to bed. I suppose I'll need my rest if I'm to be Ron's test subject all morning."

Ron gave Harry a sympathetic look but Harry waved him off.

"It'll be fine. G'night," and Harry headed for the door.

"Goodnight, Harry," Hermione said as she closed her book.

"Night, mate," Ron said distractedly, looking very flustered. He was now alone with Hermione. She'd be going to bed soon, and so would he. What was he supposed to do now?

Hermione looked equally as embarrassed. Ron still couldn't figure out why they both seemed to feel so uncomfortable and shy around each other all of a sudden like this. But he blushed as he thought about their first night together, about what they'd already done...

"Uh, so," he said slowly, running a hand through his hair. Then he sighed, deciding that he had to just get it over with, just rip off the band-aid. "I have no idea what I'm supposed to do here..."

Hermione glanced over at him, raising an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" she asked, confused.

"You look tired."

"I guess I am a bit..." Hermione admitted, still looking thoroughly confused.

"Should I go?" Ron asked, his eyes flicking away from hers.

"Why would you do that?" Hermione asked, but just then, Ginny walked through the door and towards her bed.

"Oh, hi Ron," she said, putting her hands on her hips. "What are you doing in here?"

"I was invited, thanks," Ron said, flashing a glare in his sister's direction.

"Hermione?" Ginny asked skeptically, turning her attention to her friend.

"Yeah, sorry, Ginny," Hermione said quickly.

"Oh, no, that's quite alright," Ginny said, smiling at Hermione. "I just wanted to make sure this git-" she motioned towards Ron "-wasn't in here bothering you."

Hermione shook her head but Ron narrowed his eyes at his sister.

"She's my... she's..." he started angrily, but his mouth didn't seem to be working properly.

"She's-she's-she's what?" Ginny asked, trying not to grin.

"Sod off, Ginny," Ron shouted as he stood from the bed. "I'll just leave you to it then." He stomped towards the door, his eyes narrowed.

"Hey," Hermione said quickly as she followed him out of the room. "Where are you going?"

Ron went out into the hallway and turned to face Hermione as she stood in the doorway. His face was very red and he looked very frustrated.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly. "I'm just rubbish at this sort of thing."

"What sort of thing?" Hermione asked.

"You know... _things_... when it comes to you..."

"Ron," Hermione began, moving out into the hallway and closing the door to Ginny's room behind her. "You aren't making a lot of sense."

"Oh, buggering hell," Ron muttered, running a hand furiously through his hair again. "I don't want to sleep without you, okay?" he said quickly, a bit angrily, his eyes flashing down at Hermione as his ears burned. "But I'm not sure if I'm supposed to... to say things like that. Just because we're... _married_... I mean, that doesn't really mean... we haven't been together very long..." Ron sighed heavily. "Don't bother saying anything. I know I'm being stupid."

Hermione opened her mouth, but Ron continued quickly.

"It's only been two days really since all this happened... I just... I always wanted to be with you anyway... so now I don't see why we have to... but maybe you don't want to..."

"Ron!" Hermione cut in, trying not to laugh at the absurdity of what he was saying. "I was planning on coming up to your room after I got ready for bed!"

"Huh?" Ron stared down at her, breathing a bit heavily.

"I know this is a little strange, but I also know how I feel... how I've been feeling..." Hermione blushed now too. "Maybe we should make a deal right now."

"What sort of deal?" Ron asked skeptically.

"We both stop worrying so much about showing that we care about each other. It's getting tiresome..."

Ron nodded.

"And any time we've got something we want to ask, we just ask it, okay? No over-thinking."

Ron nodded again, a half-smile forming on his face.

"That's probably a good plan," Ron admitted, feeling better. Hermione sighed in a relieved sort of way.

"See, even saying that was kind of scary," she said, laughing.

"This is stupid," Ron said, laughing too.

"I know," Hermione agreed.

"Okay, deal," Ron said, extending a hand towards Hermione. She took it with a giggle and shook it.

"Right, so I'm just going to change and come up there. You'd better not be asleep by the time I get there," Hermione said, putting her hands on her hips. Ron grinned.

"Oh, no way I'm going to sleep," he said, locking eyes with her meaningfully for a minute before turning to head upstairs. He had only gone halfway up the first set before he turned and ran back down. Hermione, who had been on the verge of disappearing back inside Ginny's room, stopped to watch him as he flashed her a grin and headed right on down past Ginny's door.

"Ron, where are you going?" Hermione asked, staring after him.

"Night cap," Ron shouted over his shoulder as he turned the corner to head down the next set of stairs.

"Bring me something too," she called after him with a grin as she closed Ginny's door.

She leaned against the closed door, hardly aware that Ginny was even in the room with her. Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest and her hands felt a bit sweatier than usual. Her legs could have been made of jelly...

Ginny glanced up at Hermione from where she was perched on the edge of her bed, removing her socks.

"Well, that's a new face," Ginny said to Hermione with a grin.

"Huh?" Hermione said, snapping out of her trance.

"What's my brother got up his sleeve?" Ginny asked, raising her eyebrows at Hermione suggestively. Hermione paled slightly, and Ginny giggled. "Don't worry," Ginny said. "You don't even need to say anything. That face you are making right now speaks much louder than any words ever could."

"Ginny!"


	9. Sips

_**A/N: **This chapter has more blatant adult things in it than previous ones. I hope that's okay with everybody. I tried to make it as tasteful as possible. I don't really like writing things that are too smutty, so I didn't take it THAT far... anyway, just thought I'd warn everybody : ) Hope you all enjoy it!_

**Chapter 8 - Midnight Drinks**

Ron sat on the edge of his bed in his tan striped pajama bottoms and his old Chudley Cannons shirt. Two butterbeers rested on the bedside table in frothy mugs. Bill had left some in the kitchen for them after the wedding ceremony.

A bottle of Firewhiskey sat next to the butterbeers, though Ron wasn't exactly sure why he'd brought it up. He enjoyed a taste from time to time when his parents weren't paying attention, but Hermione? He was sure she wouldn't be too interested in drinking it. But for some reason, he'd grabbed it on his way back upstairs from the kitchen.

His legs bobbed up and down nervously as he waited for Hermione to come up. For some reason, this night felt almost as important as the previous one had... and if he was really being honest, he was equally as nervous. He wasn't sure what he expected to happen. There were a lot of options. Hermione could simply come up in her pajamas, drink her butterbeer, and climb in bed to sleep. Or, they could spend a while snogging and getting a little drunk... Ron blushed, thinking that wasn't very likely. And the third option... well, that was the bit that had his legs shaking furiously.

He had tried very hard not to think about _sleeping _with her the previous night. After all, it had been necessary, and there had been no other real reason for it... right? But as hard as he had tried not to remember it, not to focus on it, he couldn't help it. He hadn't ever even kissed a girl before Hermione two days ago. And then... last night... Everything was going very fast. It wasn't that he wanted it to slow down, but he did wish, nearly every time that one particular memory flooded his mind, that he could undo it just so they could have it the way he'd wanted it. He didn't want to remember how good it had felt, how wonderful it had been for him... because the next thing he kept replaying was the terrified look in Hermione's eyes just before they'd done it.

But then, he'd blush, even all alone in his room, whenever he'd think about what she had said afterwards...

_It's okay, Ron, and next time will be better__..._

Next time. Hermione had basically promised him a 'next time'.

He sighed shakily and ran a hand through his hair, then stood from his bed and began to slowly pace his room, thinking hard. He passed the little mirror on his desktop and spotted his ruffled hair in his reflection. He picked up the mirror and attempted to straighten it out, then quickly noticed the state of the bright orange shirt that he was wearing. It was faded, thin, and full of tiny holes. All of a sudden, he started to notice everything wrong with his appearance and stared at himself, disgustedly. He had to do something before Hermione arrived.

Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that he was being irrational. It would seem odd for him to dress nice to go to bed... but he wasn't thinking very rationally at the moment. He set his mirror down on his desktop and flicked his eyes over the rather unorganized dresser top. But just as he was planning out the fastest way to fix this, he heard a very small knock on his door and his eyes widened.

"Uh, co..." his voice cracked and he cleared his throat. "Come in!"

His door opened with a slight squeak and Hermione stood on the other side in her pajamas. Her hair seemed extra bushy when framed by Ron's doorway. He swallowed and attempted to smile at her as she stepped inside and shut the door behind her. Her eyes flicked over to Ron's bedside table, then back to Ron.

"Butterbeer?" she asked, looking amused.

"Yeah," Ron said, nodding with a half-smile. "Bill bought it for us."

"That was nice of him," Hermione said simply as she sat on the edge of Ron's bed. Ron moved to join her, feeling his chest constrict with nerves. The light from his bedside lantern cast a glow on Hermione's face as she watched him reach for a mug of butterbeer, then hand it to her.

"Thanks," she said with a smile as she took a small sip. Ron took his own mug and began to drink, thankful for something to occupy their mouths besides talking... his ears burned as he thought of other ways to occupy their mouths...

"Uh, Hermione," he began, but as she looked over at him curiously, he realized he had nothing to say to her and frantically tried to think of something.

"Yes?" she asked after a moment, taking another sip of her butterbeer.

"Um, well," he said, forcing his mug up to his lips for another drink to stall for time. He swallowed and cleared his throat when he lowered his mug. "Do you... do you think this year will be easier than last now that we have our O.W.L.s out of the way?"

He closed his eyes briefly in disbelief. Had those words really come out of his mouth? That was what he had decided to say? _Perfect_, he thought sarcastically. _Get her talking about school..._

"Oh," Hermione said, looking a little thrown off by his question. "Well, sure, it might be."

Ron nodded, not wanting to continue this line of conversation in the slightest. What had possessed him to ask such a stupid, mundane, completely pointless question?! But Hermione continued smoothly...

"It's going to be a bit easier in a way I suppose because we won't have to study for O.W.L.s, that's true. But our coursework will be just as hard I think, if not harder. We'll be learning even more advanced magic than ever before... obviously we'll be preparing for N.E.W.T.s next so they've got to get us ready, even though it's not until the end of seventh year..."

Ron watched her mouth moving, the words sliding out of her lips as she spoke, and before long, he was completely mesmerized. His brain desperately tried to hold on to what she was saying, to her rant about coursework and the need to study harder than ever before... but she was licking her soft pink lips, holding her mug in her hands lightly, her fingers practically caressing the mug. He imagined her lips against his skin as her mouth moved in a perfect pattern as each word glided gently from her lips. And then suddenly, he became horribly aware of the silence that was now filling his room.

And her lips were curling slightly into what looked like a suppressed grin.

His eyes darted up to hers immediately.

"Wha..." he started, his face turning from pale to deepest scarlet instantaneously. She let out a small giggle and rolled her eyes.

"What was the last thing I said?" she asked, and though she didn't seem angry, Ron felt his heartbeat quicken as he fought to remember what she had just been talking about.

"I, uh... well..." his eyes left hers as he rummaged through his mind, looking for something... _something _to say... "You, uh, you were saying that..."

"Ron," Hermione cut in, looking amused. "Why did you ask me about school if you didn't care to hear the answer?"

"What?" he asked as his eyes flashed back over to hers. "I was listening!"

"Were you?" Hermione asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow at him. "I think we just proved that you weren't."

He looked away from her and ran a nervous hand through his hair.

"Hermione..."

"So what, may I ask, had you so distracted? Or am I really that boring?" Something in her tone this time sounded just a bit disappointed, and Ron felt very guilty all of a sudden.

"Sorry," he mumbled, looking down at his lap. "I wasn't... I didn't mean to..."

"We had a deal, remember?" Hermione said sternly.

"What's that got to do with..." but then Ron realized what she was saying. She wanted him to tell her what he'd been distracted by. And he didn't see any way out of it this time. "Oh."

Hermione waited, staring over at him, for him to talk again, so finally, sighing, he shrugged.

"Your lips," he said quickly.

"What about them?" Hermione asked, though she sounded a little bit nervous herself now.

"I was... distracted..." he concluded, hoping and silently begging that she'd cotton on so he wouldn't have to say anything else.

Hermione went very still and silent next to him and he didn't dare look over at her. After a very long uncomfortable moment, he darted his eyes over towards her, hoping to get a glimpse of her expression out of the corner of his eye... she was grinning. Feeling delighted all of a sudden, Ron cast a shy glance fully in her direction.

"What?" he asked as innocently as he could muster.

She giggled and ducked her head away from him.

"I should be really angry with you, Ron," she said.

"Should you?" Ron asked softly, trying not to sound too amused.

"Yes, definitely," she said, nodding through her smile. "But," she added, looking back up at him now, "I'm not for some reason. Don't think you'll get so lucky next time though."

Ron grinned broadly at her and nodded.

"Okay," he said.

She grinned back at him, then took another drink from her butterbeer mug, almost finishing it. Ron returned to his own mug, feeling very warm and giddy all of a sudden.

"Is that Firewhiskey?" Hermione asked, startling Ron slightly.

"Oh," he glanced over at the bottle on his bedside table. "Yeah."

"Do you like it?" Hermione asked, wrinkling up her nose a bit as she finished her butterbeer.

"It's alright, yeah," Ron said.

"Can I try it?" Hermione asked, holding out her now empty mug.

"Yeah," Ron said, giving her a half-smile as he reached for the bottle. "Mum and Dad don't know I've got this, so we've got to be careful not to finish it off."

Hermione raised her eyebrows at him.

"Finish it off?" she repeated, throwing Ron a disbelieving frown. "I doubt that will be a problem." Ron smiled as he poured a small amount of the Firewhiskey into Hermione's mug, replaced the open bottle on his bedside table, and quickly downed the rest of his own butterbeer. He then reached for the bottle again and poured himself about the same amount that he had poured for Hermione. He looked over at her where she sat sniffing the contents of her mug.

"It doesn't smell great," she said, looking skeptical. "But alright, let's do it."

"It's more about the way it feels than it is about the taste, I think," Ron said, smiling as he watched her examining her mug. "Ready?" he asked, holding his mug out to her.

"Ready," she said, smiling as she held her own mug up.

"Cheers," Ron said as he clinked his glass to hers and downed the burning liquid. Hermione finished hers a moment after he had lowered his mug and they watched each other swallowing. Hermione looked a bit put off by the strong taste and opened her mouth to smack her lips slightly after she had finished swallowing it.

"S'not so bad, right?" Ron asked as he felt the Firewhiskey burn its way down his throat into his chest.

"Guess not," Hermione said. "You said you've had it before though, right?"

"Yeah," Ron said. "A few times. Dad usually keeps a bit in the cupboard."

"I kind of like it," Hermione admitted after a second.

"Yeah?" Ron asked, smiling at her again.

"It's alright, yeah," she said, her cheeks a bit flushed. "Makes me feel kind of..."

"Calm?" Ron tried and Hermione shrugged.

"Something like that."

Ron smiled at her and she smiled back, then blinked a rather long blink.

"Kind of dizzy actually," she added with a giggle.

"In a good way, though, right?" Ron said with a lopsided grin.

"Yeah," Hermione said, grinning back. "In a good way."

"Want some more?" Ron asked, reaching for the bottle. Hermione held out her mug and he poured her another small amount, then filled his own mug again.

"Ready?" Hermione said this time, her eyes sparkling in the lamplight.

"Ready," Ron said softly.

"One," Hermione began.

"Two," Ron said.

"Three," they said together, each raising their mugs to their lips and downing the contents quickly.

"Ahh," said Hermione, pulling a slightly sour face as she swallowed the drink.

Ron seemed to mirror her expression as he lowered his own glass, but his face quickly morphed into an amused smile.

"More?" he asked, laughing slightly. Hermione shook her head.

"How much till you actually get drunk?" she asked, and Ron shrugged.

"No idea. I've never had that much before."

"Well, I don't know what drunk feels like," Hermione said, and Ron grinned. "_Obviously_..." she added, "but if I have much more of that, I'm sure I'll find out."

Hermione giggled a bit again as Ron took her mug and placed it with his on the bedside table.

"Feels like there's a fire inside my chest," she said, putting her palm against her chest. Ron glanced down at her hand, then looked quickly away when he realized where his eyes had fallen and would soon be _staring _if he didn't look away. "But it feels good," Hermione added with another small giggle.

"Stand up," Ron said suddenly.

"What?" Hermione asked, looking very flushed and carefree.

"Stand up," Ron said again as he stood on slightly wobbly legs and extended a hand to her. She took it and stood up next to him.

"Oh," she mouthed as she slid her arms around Ron, clearly feeling a bit lightheaded. "Maybe we shouldn't have drunk it so fast."

"Nah," Ron said, allowing his own arms to circle Hermione's waist as she stood looking up at him. "This isn't anything. We aren't drunk. We'd know if we were, right?"

Hermione shrugged, but didn't seem too concerned.

"We hardly drank anything," Ron added. "You can't get drunk from that little, can you?"

Again, Hermione shrugged.

"Why are you asking me?" she said, her eyes sparkling again as she grinned up at Ron. "I've never even tasted the stuff before tonight. You're corrupting me."

"You said you liked it," Ron said, grinning back down at her.

"I do," she admitted. "But it's all your fault."

"I think that means I did you a favor."

"Then I owe you one," Hermione said with another giggle.

"Sure do," Ron said, blushing. She was so close... her lips were so full and pink and soft and... he could just lean down... down... a bit closer...

She closed her eyes as his lips touched hers, savoring the taste of the butterbeer and Firewhiskey combination between the two of them, their hands moving against each other's backs and sides... Ron turned his head more to the side for a better angle and Hermione moaned into his mouth as the fingers of his right hand tangled in her hair. He pulled away from her for only a second for a breath before capturing her lips again. He felt his chest burning, his body light and warm from their drinks. He pushed back against Hermione very gently and her legs bumped against his bed. For a second, she had to pull apart from Ron to balance, but she smiled back up at him as he held her firmly against him, her chest pressing against his.

But as his lips moved to hers again, she pushed back against his chest and plopped down onto Ron's bed. He stared down at her, his eyes dark.

"Come down here," Hermione said softly, and Ron quickly realized what she wanted as she twisted on his bed, moving her back towards his headboard.

"Oh," he whispered as he climbed into the bed half on top of her as she wrapped her arms around him again. He lowered his lips, but this time he sent them slightly to the right to kiss his way from the corner of her mouth to her neck. She arched her back, her chest pressing against him and he felt his body tingle with pleasure. Her hands wandered under the back of his shirt, moving feather light over his skin.

He moved away from her neck and returned to her lips, his own lips swollen and tingling slightly from the alcohol and from kissing her. He felt Hermione tugging slightly on his shirt and suddenly realized that it was half-way off his body. Feeling lightheaded and fuzzy from the drinks, he was able to calm down enough to move back away from her lips again to remove his shirt completely. Hermione's hands instantly ran down his chest, her fingers dancing over the bit of ginger hair that had grown there recently.

His eyes fluttered shut as he dipped his head to hers again, their lips crashing together. He moved his head one way, then the other, testing out different ways to kiss her, feeling a wave of prickling pleasure with each new sensation. His right hand moved down her side, gliding across her cotton t-shirt. When his hand reached the hem of the shirt at her waist, he dipped his fingers gently underneath, feeling her warm flesh against his hand. She sighed into his mouth and he knew right away that she didn't mind where his hand was headed...

He pushed his hand slowly up inside her shirt until his fingers came into contact with a new piece of cotton. His heart skipped a beat as he realized where his hand had landed...

He pulled back very slightly, parting his lips from hers but still so close that he could feel the warmth radiating from her swollen lips. Hermione looked into his eyes, lamplight furiously dancing in her pupils.

"Do you want to stop?" Hermione asked, and Ron could hear slight disappointment in her voice at the thought that he might not want to keep going. But this tentative assumption could not be further from the truth.

"Absolutely not," he said quickly, then blushed and added, "do you?"

"No way," she whispered, and he grinned as he lowered his lips back against hers. His hand seemed to be frozen in place, his fingers resting lightly against the bottom edge of her bra. He allowed his body to press down against hers though, and the feeling of her newly exposed stomach against his own was overwhelming. He remembered it clearly from their first night together, just the night before... but this was so different. It had been rushed the first time, necessary... he hadn't allowed himself to fully experience everything that he wanted to, partially because he didn't want to take advantage of the situation, and partially because he hadn't been afforded the time necessary to savor it all piece by piece.

But now, each new bit of skin exposed, each new place his lips wandered, was like a small bit of his most divine fantasy slowly coming true. He knew, as she closed her eyes and smiled against his shoulder as he kissed her neck, that she felt the same way.

After a long moment during which Ron's hand remained stuck, paused in place from its previous upward movement, Hermione began to wiggle slightly underneath him. Her shirt slipped up gradually as she did so, a bit more of her skin coming into contact with Ron's bare torso. He let out an involuntary moan as he felt a bit of her bra brush against his chest. He leaned up slightly so his chest was inches above her body, and she dropped her hands from his back, then lifted them above her head and arched against Ron. He swallowed hard and Hermione giggled somewhat nervously as he realized what she wanted him to do.

His shaking hand moved out from under her shirt and didn't have to reach far to tug up on the hem of the shirt, pulling it over the curve of her breasts. He swallowed again as he was presented with a very close-up view of her chest underneath him. Though still covered in white cloth, it was a rather thin layer of cloth, and he could make out a lot more than he had anticipated being able to in his dimly lit room.

He realized that he had stopped breathing and was probably staring pretty obviously, but Hermione seemed perfectly happy with where things were headed as she leaned up to help Ron remove her shirt completely over her head. Her hair disappeared under the shirt, then popped back out to its full size. The sight caused Ron to chuckle giddily as she tossed her shirt to the floor.

Ron let out a shaky breath as his hand moved back to its previous position just below Hermione's bra. There was a strange sensation inside of him, something about crossing this next barrier between them, like once it was done, he would be in all new territory, his life would _change_... He knew he was probably over-reacting to think this way, but as his lips captured hers again, he could feel her heartbeat getting faster and faster against his own chest and he wondered if she felt the same way.

She was the logical one, the one who knew how everything worked, understood the _why _in any situation... if she felt the way he was feeling, then maybe he wasn't over-reacting at all. Maybe what he felt for her was just so strong, so grand, that he had never really been able to fully comprehend it all until now.

"Ron," Hermione moaned against his lips as his shaky legs entwined with hers. She moved a leg out from under his body and wrapped it tentatively around his calf. His breath hitched in his throat and he slowly, shakily, moved his hand up the cotton of her bra until his fingers danced against skin once more at the top. His whole body shook with pleasure as she closed her eyes and pressed herself against him. His mouth opened to say something... _anything_... but no words came out, only a strangled moan that was lost in her mouth as she moved up away from her pillow to join her lips to his once more.

Then, suddenly, he was aware of Hermione's hand moving down his chest, squeezing between their warm bodies towards his pajama bottoms. Her hand touched the elastic at the top and Ron moaned again uncontrollably as his lips parted from hers.

He moved against her as her hand dipped slightly under the side of the elastic.

"Off," Hermione whispered in a very tiny, nervous voice. Ron swallowed again, finding it very difficult to breathe, much less say anything coherent. With one small, jerky nod, Ron helped her pull off his pajama bottoms, leaving him lying on top of her again in only his boxers. His hand moved off her chest to her own pajama hem, and he gathered all of his courage as he opened his mouth...

"Off," he said in a very hoarse voice. Hermione lifted her hips slightly, but just enough to come into contact with Ron's, and he immediately gasped with pleasure, dipping his head to her neck and shutting his eyes blissfully as Hermione shook slightly underneath him with uncontrollable giggles.

"Can't take these off with you lying on top of me," Hermione said through her laughter.

Ron rolled slightly off of her with a mumbled apology that she answered with even more nervous laughter as she pulled her pajamas off her hips. Ron's hands joined hers as she continued to pull her pajamas down to reveal inch after inch of bare skin. Ron found his eyes glued to her thighs where they pressed together at the V of her cotton underwear. Her hand cupped his cheek as he supported his weight back above her again with his hand pressed firmly into the mattress over her shoulder.

"God, Hermione," he whispered, his voice full of desire and love. "You are so bloody beautiful."

"Leave it to you to swear about everything," Hermione said, and though her eyes were becoming wetter by the second, her lips curled up with joy at Ron's words.

"Can't help it," Ron said as his eyes roamed over her body, finally finding her eyes and smiling down at her in an overwhelmed sort of way. But as he stared down at her, knowing what was coming if they kept going the way they were, a really terrible, startling thought crossed his mind, and he swallowed hard, his eyes widening, his chest constricting again, but this time, not out of nervous desire.

"What?" Hermione asked, looking concerned.

"We didn't... we... oh, _bloody hell_..."

"What?!" Hermione asked again, more frantically this time as it was obvious that Ron was terrified of something.

"I almost don't even want to tell you," Ron said in a very guilty tone.

"Well you've got to."

Ron stared down at her, horrified.

"Ronald Weasley! What the hell is going on?!" Hermione demanded. Ron flinched, unable to even take amusement out of Hermione swearing right after lecturing him about it.

"Last time... last night..." he began, his eyes wide and extremely apologetic at the same time, "when we... when we had to..." he swallowed.

"When we had to do what we're about to do now?" Hermione asked, a bit exasperated. Ron nodded, his face red and guilty.

"We didn't... protection..." he managed to get out.

"What?" Hermione asked, though comprehension clearly dawned on her as she stared up into Ron's terrified and guilt-ridden face.

"Why didn't I even think of it?" he continued, his eyes locking with hers and clearly pleading with her to forgive him. "I'm so sorry... so stupid... it'll be okay... we can... it'll be fine, whatever happens," he added.

But Hermione shook her head and smiled softly up at him. She looked as though she was trying very hard not to laugh, considering Ron was so distraught. Ron stared back at her, confused as to why she seemed to be unaffected by this news...

"Hermione, you understand what I'm saying, right?" Ron asked in a small voice. She nodded.

"Yes, I do."

"Then... why aren't you more concerned about this?" He really couldn't understand what she was thinking...

"Ron, I took a potion yesterday and again today. If you take it once a day, you're protected."

Ron blinked at her.

"How... but why... where did you get it?" he asked, looking as confused as ever.

"Bill," Hermione said shortly. "He gave it to Ginny to give to me... just in case we had to do what the papers said, in case our little plan of literally _sleeping _next to each other didn't work..."

Ron blinked again, and Hermione watched as relief flooded through him.

"So you're fine. You were fine yesterday because you took this miracle potion that Bill gave you."

Hermione nodded and bit her lip to keep from laughing as Ron closed his eyes and shook his head, his features lightening as he instantly calmed down from his over-reaction.

"Bloody hell, that was scary," he said as he opened his eyes again to look down at Hermione.

She finally could no longer contain her laughter and Ron grinned sheepishly down at her.

"That was mental of me, wasn't it," he began, "to think that you, the smartest girl _ever_, wouldn't have worked all that out beforehand..."

"Sorry I didn't tell you. I kind of forgot about it. I honestly wasn't sure if you'd even think about it."

"Hey!" Ron said as he pushed up a little on his hands, his body still hovering over hers. "I'm not that irresponsible!"

"Clearly, you are," Hermione said, and Ron knew she was right. "You're just now thinking about last night." Ron blushed a little and looked guilty again.

"Yeah, you're right. Damn, I'm lucky you're my girlfriend then," he said with a half-smile that quickly faded as he realized his mistake. "I mean... my... _wife_..."

Hermione smiled shyly up at him and their eyes met.

"Where were we?" Hermione asked him after a long moment.

"Mmm," Ron said, pretending to think hard about it for a second. "Here maybe?" he asked as he kissed his way down her chin to her chest and on towards her bra.

"Okay, yes," Hermione breathed. "That seems about right..."

He reached the edge of her bra where her breasts rose from her chest and she felt his breath hitch in his throat as he slid his hand under her back towards her bra clasp.

"Up," Hermione instructed in a hoarse voice, and Ron once again moved off of her. But he wasn't about to let her take her bra off herself. He slid his hand over hers as she moved her hand around to her back to unfasten it.

Ron's fingers danced over her skin towards the clasp and she dropped her hand to let him continue, but he furrowed his eyebrows after a moment, looking bewildered.

"What kind of nonsense is this?"

Hermione giggled as he moved his other hand to her back, fiddling with the clasp like it was a riddle he was trying to solve. He sat all the way up now in front of Hermione and raised his eyebrows at her.

"Maybe it would be easier if you could see what you're doing?" Hermione asked and Ron shrugged, looking slightly embarrassed, but mostly just perplexed. Hermione turned around and lifted her hair away from her back. Ron stared down at her bare back and got momentarily too distracted to remember why she had turned around.

"You awake?" Hermione teased when his hands remained pressed against her back, unmoving.

"Yeah," Ron choked as he snapped out of his trance and moved his eyes back to the task at hand. "Oh," he said after a moment of examination. "This makes a lot more sense now." He grinned as he unfastened the clasp quickly, watching, mesmerized, as the straps fell loosely off her shoulders. She pushed them down and slipped her arms out of them, then tossed her bra to the floor to join her other discarded clothing.

Ron felt his stomach flip and his breathing quicken as he stared forward at her completely naked back. In a moment, she'd turn around and... even last night he hadn't seen her completely naked. He'd felt it, but it had been very dark and he'd been much too scared to take the time to look properly.

Hermione turned back around very slowly, her arms crossed over her chest. She shyly glanced up into Ron's dark eyes, then slid down to lie back against the pillow again, her arms still crossed over her chest. But as Ron moved tentatively back towards her, his eyes focused of their own will on the spot between her arms where her breasts pressed together. He shivered with desire as he positioned himself back on top of her, lowering his lips to hers again. And as he kissed her, he felt her arms moving out from between their bodies, and his chest came once again into contact with her naked flesh, but there was not a single ounce of cotton to separate their torsos now.

He felt her shivering underneath him and he moved back to be sure she was alright. Her eyes were shut loosely, but when she felt him pulling back, she opened them to stare into his eyes passionately. Ron's chest practically burned with pleasure as he felt her own chest rise and fall with her breathing, her breasts pressed tightly to his skin.

"Ron," Hermione whispered, and he felt her hand move carefully down to his boxers.

"Off?" Ron asked in a very tiny whisper. She nodded, her lips curling into a shy smile. "Right," Ron choked out as he kissed his way down her chin to her neck again, then on... until he realized where he was headed and stopped abruptly to regain his composure as his eyes landed on Hermione's naked chest.

"Oh, God..." he moaned almost inaudibly as his eyes washed over her skin. "Fuck..."

"Ron!" Hermione shouted through laughter as she looked down at where his face hovered inches above her chest. Her face turned red as she saw the desire in his eyes when he flicked them up to meet hers for a moment.

"Sorry..." he sighed as he moved his hand down to where his eyes had just been. "Can't... help... it..."

After several agonizingly blissful moments, he lowered his head to her chest and kissed lightly... again... again... Hermione moaned and arched into him and he was completely lost in her. His mouth trailed along over her chest, kissing, gently sucking... until he felt like his heart was about to burst out of his own chest.

Finally, after a long last look, he ran his hand down over her whole body to her underwear and he sat back on his knees between her legs. He tugged very slightly on her underwear, but she shook her head.

"You first, remember?" she said in a breathless voice.

"Why?" Ron asked, tossing her a maddening grin.

"Because."

Ron stared at her for a moment, his eyes full of delight and nerves, but his mind racing for a comeback. But just as he was about to open his mouth to see what he might come up with on the spot, Hermione tightened her thighs around his knees where he remained kneeling between her legs and he no longer cared who had to 'go first'.

He leaned over her again and wiggled out of his boxers with her hands moving over his skin as it was exposed. He could hardly believe all the sensations running through his body as the last layer of his own clothing was completely discarded.

"Now... you..." he managed to choke out as he repeated his previous trail down from her chin, over her chest... pausing for quite some time when he reached her naked breasts... then on down to her underwear again. He sat back and felt his face heat up as he sensed Hermione staring at him. Finally, agonizingly slowly, he clutched the very last layer of clothing between the two of them in his trembling fingers and pulled down. Hermione raised her hips slightly from the mattress so he could pull her underwear down. She watched as his eyes widened, as his mouth opened slightly, as his chest moved rapidly from the increase in the speed of his breathing…

She waited for the cursing that was sure to happen as he stared down at her, but he seemed unable to even force a swear word out of his mouth as he took in her completely naked body, his eyes hungrily roaming over her skin.

"Come back down here," Hermione whispered, blushing furiously and feeling embarrassed and extremely nervous to be studied so closely, completely exposed to him.

"I love you," Ron breathed as he moved to cover her body with his own.

"I love you too," Hermione said, her voice catching in her throat as Ron kissed her again.

She wrapped her legs around his, moving one of her ankles up high on his thigh. She felt him pressing down against her and took a deep breath as his lips parted from hers again.

"Ready?" Hermione said softly, echoing their previous words to each other before taking the drinks. Ron seemed to catch on as he grinned lovingly down at her.

"Ready," he whispered.

"One," Hermione said.

"Two," Ron said, his heart furiously pumping inside his chest.

"Three," they said together.


	10. Harry, the Guinea Pig

**Chapter 9 - Harry, the Guinea Pig**

Ron was staring. He knew that he was. He wasn't sure if he really cared. He wasn't sure if she would really care either. A part of him wanted her to wake up and stare back at him. Another part of him wanted her to stay sleeping soundly... peacefully... in his arms. That way, he could keep staring quietly, no reservations.

Each bit of his naked skin that touched hers under the blanket felt so sensitive, like every single nerve in those spots was activated and on full alert. He concentrated on one bit at a time...

Her thigh overlapping his.

Her bare arm over his bare chest.

Her cheek against his shoulder.

Her stomach against his side and partially covering his own stomach in a very small area on the left side.

Her breasts against his side in the most sensitive spot, where his arm usually fell to cover it, getting close to his arm pit...

He thought about it for a moment, realizing that he had probably never really been touched there before by another person... other than his mother who had picked him up under the arms as a child. He shivered involuntarily as he felt Hermione's heart beating there in her chest, his skin burning and slightly sticky from where her flesh had been pressing against his all night. Each tiny movement he made against her caused his skin to pull away from hers in a delightful way, like it was reluctant to let hers go at all.

After a full five minutes of Ron's shameless staring, Hermione moved against him, her eyes fluttering open as she snuggled closer for a moment, then pulled back, wrinkling up her nose as if she was about to sneeze.

"What?" Ron breathed, his blue eyes sparkling and waiting for hers to meet them.

Hermione laughed, then lowered her head to Ron's shoulder, her cheeks a bit flushed. But as Ron continued to look at her, waiting for her to give some explanation of her facial expression from moments before, he suddenly jumped as he felt her fingers tingling him under the arm. His body involuntarily jerked away from Hermione towards the edge of his bed. He let out a sound somewhere between a yelp and a grunt which only made Hermione laugh harder.

"Hey!" he shouted, pulling his blanket towards him to be sure he remained covered. "What was that for?"

"Pay back," Hermione said through a giggle as she too pulled the blanket towards her to remain covered where she now laid on her side facing him.

"For what?" Ron asked, looking very confused, but somewhat amused.

"I woke up with my face in your armpit," Hermione said, laughing, situating her head on Ron's pillow. "I didn't realize you even had hair under your arms."

"And?" Ron said, raising his eyebrows at her.

"Tickled my nose," she said through yet another giggle.

"Oh," Ron said, grinning, understanding why she had been wrinkling up her nose when she first woke up. "And how is that my fault?" he added quickly.

Hermione shrugged, then suddenly, her hands were on him again, reaching for his armpits.

"Hermione!" Ron cried as he attempted to back away from her yet again, but this time, he lost his balance on the edge of the bed and toppled to the rug, pulling the blanket with him. Hermione shrieked, now completely exposed, completely naked. She reached frantically down for Ron's bed sheet which had made its way to the foot of the bed overnight.

"Are you okay, Ron?" she asked through nervous giggles as she quickly reached for the sheet. But just as she was sitting back again, she felt Ron's fingers at her own armpit and she screamed, her eyes flashing over to see him sitting up on his knees on the floor, the blanket bunched at his lap. She attempted to back away to the wall while simultaneously trying to cover herself with the sheet, but Ron lunged for her, bringing the blanket up with him. He covered her with his own body and his hands moved from her armpits to her sides. She gulped breath through her laughter.

"Ron! Ron!" she squealed as she wiggled underneath Ron, trying to move her body away from his hands.

But the sound of a thump outside Ron's door froze them both completely. It was followed by a tentative sounding knock.

"Yeah?" Ron shouted at the closed door.

"Uh, it's me," came Harry's voice.

Ron scrambled out of the bed, holding the blanket around his waist. He approached the door, an amused smirk on his face. But just as he was turning the door handle, Hermione shouted...

"Ron, wait!"

But it was too late. Hermione shrieked behind Ron. He had pulled the door slightly open and was staring out onto the landing to where Harry stood.

Harry took a moment to comprehend what he was seeing. Ron with his bright orange Chudley Cannons blanket bunched and tangled around his waist. Ron's bare chest and legs...

"Uh..." Harry started, looking away, but grinning. "This doesn't seem like a great time, mate."

Ron seemed to suddenly come to and realize just what Harry was witnessing... he turned wide eyes over his shoulder towards his bed, but Hermione was completely covered in the sheet all the way up to the top of her head, lying on her back. Her hands and a bit of her hair was all that stuck out at the top. Ron suppressed laughter at the absurdity of the situation as he turned back to face a shocked but terribly amused Harry.

"Oh _no_, this is a _perfect _time," Ron said merrily. "Never been a better time actually. What can I help you with today, Harry?"

Harry suppressed a chuckle as he backed out into the hallway, hoping Ron would take the hint and follow him out there, wanting to spare Hermione any additional embarrassment. Ron caught on and followed Harry into the hallway, closing his bedroom door behind him.

"Wanker," Harry mumbled, still grinning.

"Who, me?" Ron asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Bet you're the only bloke in our year who's... well..."

"What?" Ron asked. "Married?" he added, knowing that wasn't the right answer, but taking amusement from the answer anyway.

"Well, that's not exactly what I was going to say, but sure," Harry said.

Ron shrugged, blushing but looking relatively pleased with himself.

"For the record," Harry continued, "you might want to use a silencing charm up here. Sounded like you were torturing her..." Harry blushed now too.

"Huh?" Ron said, looking momentarily puzzled before remembering... "Oh! No, she's just..." he looked away from Harry, his ears burning, "really ticklish."

Harry raised his eyebrows at Ron now.

"That's the story you're going with?"

"What do you mean?" Ron asked. "That's what happened..."

"So, one of the rules of tickling is that you have to be completely starkers first?"

Ron glared at Harry.

"Do you want all the details, Harry?"

Harry looked suddenly disgusted and made a gagging noise.

"No, please," he said. "I don't even want to have to think about my two best mates doing things that... well, that I don't even want to name!"

Ron laughed out loud.

"So," Ron said, smirking. "What _do _you want?"

"Well, maybe _you _two have forgotten, but some of us just have nothing better to do than to allow suspicious and potentially hazardous magic to be tested against us..." Harry paused for a moment before adding, "and your Mum has breakfast on the table."

Ron nodded enthusiastically.

"Now I'm interested," he said and Harry rolled his eyes. "Okay, so," Ron continued, a bit more seriously this time, but before he could say anything else, his bedroom door opened to reveal a very flushed Hermione, her pajamas from the night before hastily thrown over her body.

Harry watched as Ron turned to look at her and smiled. She smiled back shyly.

"Shower," she said, and Ron quickly kissed her as she brushed past him to head downstairs. Harry gave Ron an incredulous shake of his head.

"I don't think I'm going to get used to it being okay for you to be wearing nothing but a blanket in Hermione's presence. That was just weird..." Harry said. Ron hitched the bright orange blanket up a bit where it had been sagging quite low on his hips, and he shrugged.

* * *

Breakfast was short and quiet, filled with those same secretive, tentative glances in Ron and Hermione's direction, as had become the custom for meals since their wedding. Neither Ron nor Hermione was used to it yet, however, and they blushed and ducked as they ate, which only caused the glances to increase. Finally, Harry stood from the table, thanked Mrs. Weasley for the meal, and cleared his throat.

"Oh," Ron said, chugging down the last of his pumpkin juice. "Right. Mum, me and Harry and Hermione are going for a walk."

Hermione blinked at him.

"Just to get some air," Ron added, shrugging. It was apparent only to Harry and Ron that Hermione thought Ron's story telling skills were severely lacking. But Mrs. Weasley nodded and smiled sweetly at them.

"Okay, dears. Be careful."

And Ron and Hermione stood from the table in unison and followed Harry to the front door.

When they'd stepped out onto the front porch, Harry shook his head at Ron.

"Excellent work back there," Harry said sarcastically.

"Well, she didn't say anything, did she?" Ron reasoned. "And here we are."

Harry and Hermione couldn't really argue with Ron's logic at the moment, so they set off across the garden towards the woods, Hermione leading the way.

"So," Harry began, staring at the back of Hermione's head, "can I assume you have a plan?"

Ron shot Harry a look that was clearly asking Harry why he would even think to voice aloud such an idiotic question...

"Yes," Hermione said and Ron gave Harry a satisfied nod behind her back. Harry rolled his eyes. "We're going to go pretty deep into the words, then we'll transfigure something into a pad so no one gets hurt..."

"You mean so _I_ don't get hurt," Harry corrected, smirking and grimacing simultaneously. Hermione ignored his comment however, and pushed forward into the woods, taking them deeper and deeper.

Hermione finally stopped walking and turned to face Harry and Ron who were both looking around the place she had chosen with interest. Hermione pulled a sock out of her pocket and tossed it to the ground, bringing Harry and Ron's attention back to what she was doing. They watched as she transfigured the sock into something that resembled an exercise mat, then increased its size substantially until it looked like fairly decent protection from a fall.

"Hermione," Ron began as she pulled the pad over to a clear area on the ground, "how many times are you going to impress me today?"

Hermione tried to hide her grin.

"That was nothing," she said as she tucked her wand back into her jeans. "Just the basic principles we've been learning since first year."

Ron shook his head.

"I'm willing to bet you that neither me nor Harry could pull off anything that even closely resembles what you just did."

Ron glanced to Harry for affirmation. Harry nodded enthusiastically.

"Ron's right," Harry said.

Hermione rolled her eyes, but she was still obviously suppressing a satisfied grin.

"Okay," she began, "so here's the plan. I'll stand there at the end of the mat. Harry, you'll come up to me with your wand out, like you plan to attack me."

Harry arched an eyebrow at Hermione but said nothing.

"Ron, your job is to try to pretend like you think Harry really is a treat to me, then we'll see what happens," Hermione concluded.

"See what happens?" Ron asked, looking apprehensive.

Hermione shrugged.

"I don't know if much _will _happen because it'll be hard to pretend like Harry really _will _attack me when you know he won't," Hermione said.

"Right," Ron said, nodding but not looking convinced.

"Okay, Harry," Hermione said, grabbing him by the arm and leading him over to a spot about thirty feet away from the edge of the mat. "Just make sure you walk across the mat, Harry. That way, if Ron really does make something happen, you'll fall on the mat and be fine."

"Right," Harry said, grinning at Hermione, but casting a weary glance in Ron's direction. Hermione left Harry to assume her position at the opposite end of the mat.

"Ready?" Hermione asked, looking from Harry to Ron.

"Sure," Ron said after a moment. "Let's do it."

"Remember, Ron," Hermione said, "pretend Harry's trying to hurt me."

"But not too badly!" Harry shouted, narrowing his eyes at Ron.

"Okay," Ron said, looking a bit nervous.

"1... 2.... 3!" Hermione shouted.

Harry pulled his wand out of his trousers and began to walk towards Hermione. As he got closer, he sped up, trying to focus on her and not look over at Ron as he approached. He raised his wand and screwed up his face into what he hoped was a menacing stare.

Ron glared at Harry, trying to concentrate. _Harry's not Harry_, he thought. _He's a maniac and he wants Hermione dead... _It was difficult, but just as Harry was only a few feet from Hermione, just as he was beginning to show signs of slowing down to avoid running into her, his feet left the ground about an inch and his chest felt like it had been softly pushed back.

Ron stared, a bit stunned, as Harry tried to regain his balance, failed, and toppled gently backwards, catching himself with his palms against the mat. Hermione's head whipped over to Ron.

"That was great, Ron!" she called, looking pleased.

"Blimey," Ron said, running a hand through his messy hair. "Can't believe that worked."

Harry pushed himself to his feet and pocketed his wand.

"That was _weird_," he said, staring at Ron.

"What did it feel like?" Ron asked, curiously.

"Like something was blocking my way," Harry said. "Something kind of pressed against my chest for a moment and I lost my balance."

"Mad," Ron said, looking shocked.

"Yeah," Harry agreed.

"Okay, we should try it again," Hermione said, stepping forward and tugging Harry's arm again. But this time, she directed him off to the right so that he'd be walking straight towards Ron with Hermione between them.

"Why this way now?" Harry asked.

"Because," Hermione whispered, stopping when she thought they had gone far enough. She leaned in closer to Harry so Ron wouldn't hear her. "This way Ron won't be able to tell how close you are to me."

"So you really are trying to get me killed," Harry joked.

"He barely moved you last time. It'll be fine," Hermione assured him as she turned to head back to her spot, this time at the edge of the mat where her back would be towards Ron. "Ready?" she asked Ron, glancing over her shoulder towards him.

"Ready," Ron said, straightening up and concentrating hard.

"1... 2... 3!" Hermione shouted.

Harry began to walk again, his wand raised towards Hermione. He was almost there, almost to the edge of the mat, when he caught Ron's eye by accident and the tension seemed to break immediately. Ron knew it wouldn't work before Harry even slowed down in front of Hermione.

"I could see his face too clearly," Ron said to Hermione as she turned towards him again. "It was too easy to tell he wasn't going to hurt you, and that it was Harry and not some lunatic coming after you."

"Okay," Hermione said, biting her lip and thinking. Suddenly, she pulled Harry away again, back to his original spot. She leaned down to whisper her plan to him again. "Harry, I want you to actually send hexes towards me this time."

"What?!" Harry hissed. "Are you mental?!"

"Listen, you won't be actually _aiming _at me, but Ron will think you are," Hermione whispered. "Aim them to your left, far away from me. From Ron's perspective, to your right, it will look a whole lot closer than it is. He won't be expecting it."

"I hope you're ready to take a trip to St. Mungo's..." Harry replied.

"Don't start hexing me until you get close enough to the mat, or Ron might send you flying into a tree root," Hermione added, ignoring Harry's comment.

"Comforting," Harry said sarcastically. "And don't say 'hexing me'. Say 'hexing _at _me.' Sounds way too much like I'm going to _really _be hitting you with random attacks..."

"Okay. You ready?" Hermione asked, leaning back from Harry.

"Not in the slightest, but..." Harry trailed off. "Wait, what about the Restriction of-"

"-Underage Sorcery?" Hermione finished.

"Yeah, that."

"Not a problem at the Burrow, is it," Hermione said. "There's too much magic coming from here already. Ron's parents don't know we're doing anything we aren't supposed to from here. They don't need to ever find out. And the Ministry doesn't know _who_ performed the spells, do they... just where they came from."

"Right," Harry said, faking relief. "Looks like you've got it all worked out."

"You'll be fine," Hermione said as she stepped away from him. "Just remember what I said about _when _to do it..."

"Yeah, yeah," and Harry took out his wand again, looking far more anxious than before.

When Hermione reached her spot on the opposite end of the mat, she looked from Harry to Ron again.

"Okay?" she called.

"Yep," came Harry's skeptical voice.

"Let's go," said Ron.

"1... 2... 3!" Hermione shouted, and a very tentative Harry moved towards her.

He was nearly to the edge of the mat when Hermione saw his mouth open and gave a very tiny encouraging nod.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry shouted, aiming very far to his left.

"Hey!" Ron yelled, looking thrown off by this new part of the test...

Harry moved several steps forward, then shouted "Everte Statum!" at a tree to Hermione's right.

"Harry!" Ron bellowed, and at the same instant, Harry's whole body jolted backwards and into the air. He let out a surprised yelp as he was thrown to the very edge of the mat and slid off onto the ground. "What the hell was that?!" Ron called, panting slightly.

Hermione rushed over to be sure Harry was alright.

"Hermione's idea!" Harry called to Ron defensively.

"You okay, Harry?" Hermione asked as she bent over him, looking a little concerned.

"Just great," Harry said sarcastically. "You know I wasn't really going to hex her, right?" He narrowed his eyes at Ron as Ron approached him.

"Yeah, but..." Ron scratched the back of his neck.

"Harry, what did I tell you about not sending hexes my way until you were on the mat?" Hermione lectured as she helped him to his feet.

"I did wait! And you nodded for me to go! Ron's just an idiot!"

"It looked like you were about to hit her, Harry!" Ron responded.

"And he's not supposed to know that you aren't!" Hermione cut in when Harry opened his mouth to retort. "I had no idea he was going to send you flying ten feet backwards, though..." Hermione admitted.

"Exactly," Harry said, still looking shocked.

"Sorry," Ron mumbled. "But you two tricked me!" he added.

"Well, at least we know it works," Hermione said.

Harry stared at her.

"Sure do," he said.

Ron tried not to grin.

"I think that's about enough for today, don't you?" Hermione asked Harry, trying to hide her own grin.

"Oh, you two think this is just so funny, don't you..." Harry trailed off, trying to look angry.

But his act didn't last long.

"Fine," he said, his lips curling up. "I guess this is pretty brilliant stuff you can do, Ron..."

"I know!" Ron exclaimed, looking incredulous. "I've never been this good at _real _magic..."

Harry laughed.

"This _is_ real magic, Ron, and you're perfectly wonderful at everything you actually _try _to do..." said Hermione, crossing her arms over her chest.

Harry and Ron grinned at her.

"Harry, remember a few moments ago when Ron almost knocked you out?" she said as she stared back at them.

"No, I've forgotten..."

Hermione ignored Harry's sarcasm.

"Well, it's dangerous and it needs to be directed. Ron, you're going to have to learn how to control it."

"I don't think that will be too hard as long as you don't tell Harry to do stupid things like attempt to curse you without telling me you're just fooling around..."

"Use your brain, git," Harry said, shoving Ron. "I wouldn't have really hexed your wife."

Harry looked pleased with himself as Ron blushed.

"Okay, let's go back inside," Hermione said, changing the subject as her own cheeks reddened.

"Okay, but we're leaving the transfiguration up to you," said Ron.

Hermione sighed and tried to look put out as she flicked her wrist in the direction of the mat, only to pick up a very neatly folded white sock from its place on the ground a moment later... but Ron caught her smiling as they made their way back up to the Burrow, and he felt quiet satisfied with the day all in all.


	11. More Than Wonderful

_**A/N:** *removes more-than-year-old cobwebs and spiders from story so Ron can enter safely* Ohhhhh. I really left you all hanging... SO sorry :( *massive cringe* I've had a lot of requests for an update to this story, and whenever I'd try to write it, it just wasn't working. I think getting back into it was really the hard thing, and now that I have, I'm going to hold onto that and get this thing finished! Lots more to come, I can say that. Many more chapters because I know how the story ends and what has to happen to get them there..._

_Now, a quick bit of info..._

_This was one of my first big chapter stories, and it's been so long, and this was never beta'ed, so I really wanted to go back through all the chapters from chapter 1 and fix my own typos and errors, clean up repetitive adjectives, etc. But then I thought, I've got this chapter ready to post, and I've had requests, so I really wanted to just get this out there for you all, and I didn't know when I'd be able to finish the self-beta of the previous chapters! So. I'm going to be working on that, on going back through and fixing things, and hopefully that will be done before the next chapter posts. I'll let everyone know with my note at the beginning for that one._

_That's it. That's everything. I hope you all enjoy this next chapter and SO MANY HUGS to anyone who's still hanging around waiting for this story... and an extra special hug for **heronlove** (Crystal) who has been incredibly patient, and I know she's been waiting so long for this! xx_

_/end longest A/N ever._

* * *

**Chapter 10 – More Than Wonderful  
**  
By the time they'd all changed clothes and washed up, lunch was on the table. When Ron and Harry entered the kitchen, Hermione was already sitting at the table, chatting with Ron's father.

"Yes, that's just fine," Mr. Weasley said as Ron sat down next to Hermione.

"What's fine?" Ron asked.

Hermione very pointedly avoided looking in Ron's direction, and she seemed to be trying very hard to act like she hadn't heard him.

Mr. Weasley looked between the two before finally speaking.

"We're taking Hermione to see her parents this evening."

Ron blinked at his father, jaw dropping. Somehow, he had managed until now to forget all about what Hermione had said the night before in Ginny's room, that she wanted to visit her parents tonight... _maybe for dinner..._

Ron mouthed a silent 'oh' and tried to clear his throat, but when he tried to speak again, his voice sounded strangled and unnatural, so he reached for his plate and began to fill it with things from the table to distract himself.

Harry and Ginny attempted light conversation, and Ron was sure it had been a quick move on Harry's part to diffuse tension. But Ron and Hermione remained completely silent and rigid until, finally, Hermione stood from the table, excused herself, and headed upstairs. Ron stared after her for a moment before following her out of the room without a word...

When he reached Ginny's closed bedroom door, he froze, staring at the door. He needed to talk to her, to let her know that no matter how terrifying it was going to be, he was going to go with her, to be there for her... and they'd get through it... right?

But, hell, that just sounded so bloody awful. _Talking _to her parents, looking them in the eye after what had transpired these past few days...

He let out a shaky sigh and reached forward to knock, realizing he was totally unprepared, but also knowing that he probably never _would _be prepared... But then, suddenly, knuckles an inch from wood, he remembered something else Hermione had said the night before...

_You don't really have to knock..._

His mind raced, trying to decide if she _wanted _him to just walk in unannounced, but in the end, he raised his hand to the door again and knocked softly, feeling confused and overwhelmed and more nervous than he had since... well, since the night before... so, not very long...

He let his eyes flutter shut hopelessly and shook his head, but when he heard the door creak softly on its hinges, his eyes snapped open to meet Hermione's where she stood on the other side.

"Hi," he said softly.

She stepped back to allow him to come inside, and just as he crossed through the doorway, she closed the door again and locked it. But she remained by the door, her arms tightly crossed over her chest, staring down at something, possibly his knees, he reckoned...

"Are you okay?" Ron asked. Hermione's eyes met his for a second, but she said nothing and looked away again.

He shifted his weight from foot to foot, watching her carefully.

"Okay," he said, ignoring her solemn stare and plowing ahead. "So, when do we leave? Is my dad coming with us? Should we talk about what we're going to say?"

Hermione's eyes flicked quickly up to meet his. Ron stared down at her, waiting for her to answer him.

"Y-you're coming with me?" she asked, her voice cracking.

"Well, yeah," Ron said, as if it had been perfectly obvious. "I thought you already knew I..."

He watched her swallow, eyes shining brightly. And he knew she really _hadn't_known...

"You really thought I'd leave you to do this alone?" he asked softly.

"Ron..." she nearly melted, gliding closer to him across the worn rug.

"Okay, you look like you think I'm being _terribly _nice or something," he began, and she was suddenly grinning, a foot away from him, "but you should really know... I'm bloody horrified at the thought of this."

Hermione froze, her smile faded slightly, and she blinked, waiting for him to continue.

"You parents might hex-" he began, but he shook his head, remembering that that particular threat didn't apply to them, "-I mean, you know, beat the shit out of me."

"Charming," Hermione whispered, an eyebrow twitching in an obvious war against itself, not wishing to reveal her underlying amusement.

He smirked for half a second before his heart dropped again, back into his stomach, as he remembered what they were really discussing.

"Honestly, I'd really rather do almost anything other than this..." he trailed off, and Hermione's smile faded completely away as she let her eyes sink from his furrowed brow to his parted lips. "But I'm going to do it anyway. Because, you know, I love you. So, I dunno. That's not really so wonderful of me, is it?"

He cringed, but Hermione's eyes moved back up to his again and he felt his breath catch in his throat. She didn't offer him a smile this time. But something passed through her eyes, and all he could think to equate it to was the first time he'd done magic, the first time he'd realized, without a doubt, that he had it in him at all...

"It's so much more than wonderful of you," Hermione whispered, and Ron gave her a confused half-smile, shrugging.

"Okay..." he said, shaking his head in disbelief, "sure."

She laughed, leaning softly against his chest and slinking her arms around his waist.

He felt his own heartbeat pump against her cheek as he shyly smoothed down her hair with his fingers, trailing them further down along her spine as she breathed deeply. A long moment passed, and he could almost feel the world turn beneath his feet as he calmed to her touch, her palms flat against his back, torsos pressed evenly from his sternum to her belly button... which, he noticed with a shock of pleasure, rested tightly against the zip of his trousers...

He cleared his throat.

"Hermione..." he whispered, her hair tickling his lips as he ducked his head an inch closer to hers. "What the hell are we going to say to them?"

She sighed heavily and lifted her head from his chest, keeping her arms locked around him as she looked up into his eyes.

"Just the truth. And it'll be okay."

Ron raised a skeptical eyebrow, but kept the gesture light with a lopsided smile.

"Trust me," Hermione added. And the deep creases across her forehead were the only marks that gave away her own fear.

"Alright," Ron said, but the word had barely left his lips when someone knocked on the door behind him.

Hermione sniffed and ducked out of Ron's arms to open the door. Harry stood on the other side, cringing apologetically.

"Sorry to interrupt," he said softly, "but I'm just letting you know... I'm going for a flight with Ginny. Do either of you... want me to be back to go with you, tonight?"

Hermione smiled thankfully at him, but looked back over her shoulder at Ron... He licked his lips and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"Would it make it easier for you?" Hermione asked him.

"For _me_? But this is for _you_." He took two shuffling steps to stand directly behind her, head tilted down to parallel his profile perfectly with Hermione's as she looked up to meet him. "Do _you _want Harry to come with us?"

Harry ruffled his hair, looking slightly out of place, and Ron only just realized how intimate he was being with Hermione, right there in the open, with Harry watching them. It had been far from intentional, the way he stood over her, body slightly off balance in her direction, rather than rigidly straight or slouching as he would usually. And it was eye-opening to realize how much he really did let what he felt come to the surface, once he'd unlocked the gates. He cleared his throat and removed a hand from his pocket to take Hermione's hand, straightening his shoulders and back to stand at a reasonable distance. And somehow, holding her hand was actually far _less _significant than such a tiny gesture of protection had been a moment ago... his body pulled magnetically against hers, that tiny space left open between them, to stir up a current within.

"We can do this," Hermione said, forcing certainty into her voice, through all of her underlying _un_certainty. "Can't we?" she added, for good measure.

"Yeah, mate," Ron said, turning his attention to Harry at last. "We'll be okay."

Harry nodded, looking from one of them to the other. And then he was leaning forward and hugging them, left arm around Ron and right arm around Hermione. Ron leaned into the hug and contributed his right arm, but his left hand remained firmly entwined with Hermione's until Harry pulled away from them again.

"Right," Harry said, smiling. But he paused, and Ron knew from the sly look in Harry's eyes that he was preparing a joke. "I should be disgusted," Harry said, "that my brother and my sister are married now."

Ron laughed, and Harry turned to walk away from them, bouncing down the stairs and out of sight.

"Go for a walk with me?" Hermione asked through a smile.

"Okay," and Ron dropped her hand at last as she slipped through the door before him.

They walked in silence at first, and Ron used the time to mull over his options, how he could phrase the announcement he had to make tonight. He wondered if Hermione wanted him to be the one to say it actually, or if she wanted to tell them herself and merely wanted him there for support. Both of those jobs seemed daunting, and not because of the task itself exactly, but because of the unknown implications of either of those positions. What was he expected to do, really?

But finally, Hermione stopped, halfway up one of the small hills on the edge of the Burrow's property, and she turned and sat in the warm grass, reaching up to take Ron's hand and tug gently, urging him down to join her. He obliged, extending his legs in front of him before dropping fully onto his back, stretching his arms up before tucking his hands behind his head. Hermione twisted her body to gaze down at him, supported by her left palm against the ground... And Ron froze, immediately, at the look in her eyes, sorting through possibilities to place exactly what it was that he was seeing. He was overwhelmed with the myriad of options that could now be contained within a look. Before, he'd been too cautious to let the majority of his feelings through. But now, they were unrestrained... in himself, and in Hermione as well. And he was still working on categorizing each and every moment, overcoming his former resistance to all of the labels he had once been sure he'd never be able to use. Not with Hermione. Not with the way that she saw _him_. But God, how wrong he'd been.

She actually _loved _him.

Every few minutes, he remembered, as if coming out of an Obliviate.

She dropped down next to him, stretching her body along his right side, and her head found that perfect spot against his shoulder.

"Don't worry," she said peacefully. "I'll do all the talking. I'm just glad you'll be there. I won't be nearly as nervous..."

He released one of his hands from behind his head and circled her body with his strong right arm, clutching her tighter to him. She snuggled closer still, and as she turned inward, her thigh overlapped his, and he held his breath for a moment...

They remained there together, peaceful, as clouds passed by overhead. Distantly, they could hear Harry and Ginny's laughter as they soared through the sky. And finally, just as Ron thought he might actually doze of, Hermione stirred against him, and his blood ran a bit faster in anticipation of her...

"Tell me a secret..." she whispered, breath light against his skin. And he grinned at his own lack of control, as goosebumps broke out across his neck.

"Hm," he pondered, twisting his back against the grass as Hermione rubbed a smile into his shoulder. "Oh!"

She perked up, biting her lip expectantly as she lifted her head to look into his sparkling eyes. He grinned broadly at her before furtively darting his eyes, as if to check for eavesdroppers...

"I've got a whole stash of Honeydukes sweets under my bed that Mum doesn't know about," he whispered.

Hermione paused to blink... before pressing her lips together and dropping her nose to his neck, where she burst out laughing. He delighted in the way her rumbling chest melted against his side as he joined her in laughter. But they were almost instantly interrupted...

"Ron! Hermione!" came Mrs. Weasley's voice from the Burrow's front porch, breaking through their lighthearted mirth and reminding them of what came next.

"Surely it can't be time to go already," Hermione said, alarmed. But Ron now noticed, for the first time, just how low the sun had moved in the sky, clouds a mixture of orange and pink along the horizon. His limbs turned to jelly as Hermione slipped away to stand over him, nervously wringing her hands. He finally found the strength to stand next to her, and he brushed grass from his jeans simply to stall for another few seconds.

But if it was time, well, then he had to face it. So, with all the resolve he could muster, he took Hermione's hand and marched down towards the Burrow, completely unprepared, but flinging himself head first into it anyway. It was all he could do now, really, and he pushed away each new ounce of fear as it threatened to churn the contents of his stomach.

"Ron," Mrs. Weasley said, as he came within easy range of her. "Your father thought it best you should go to the Grangers' with enough time before supper so as not to intrude on them. Hermione, dear, does that sound like a good plan?"

"Okay, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said shakily, as Mr. Weasley emerged from the house with his traveling cloak.

"Ron, are you coming with us?" he asked, and Ron nodded. Mr. Weasley gave him a rather impressed smile as Mrs. Weasley ducked through the door to retrieve Ron and Hermione's cloaks from the rack just inside the house.

"Here you are, dears," she said, handing them their cloaks, looking nearly as worried as Ron felt.

"Ready?" Mr. Weasley asked, stepping off the porch.

Hermione looked up into Ron's eyes. But all he could do was nod mutely, throat constricting as he ran through all of the possible reactions Hermione's parents could have to this extremely sudden and borderline inappropriate news...

But he stepped up next to his father, and he waited as they all adjusted into a funny sort of half-hug, Mr. Weasley clutching Ron and Hermione's arms tightly.

"We'd better go straight to the back garden," Hermione said, her voice oddly hollow.

"Right," nodded Mr. Weasley... before turning on the spot, and Disapparating.

They landed just shy of a large rose bush, and Ron nearly over-balanced as one of his feet sank deep into a puddle. He breathed in thickly, panic rising higher by the second as Hermione lifted her chin and approached the back door. He felt the strongest urge to call out to her, to ask her to wait. But she'd opened the door before he could remember how to work his vocal chords, and he felt a wave of relief that he'd not had the chance, in the end. He wanted to show her that he _could _do this, as much as he felt sure that he _couldn't_...

He followed his father through after Hermione, and he was instantly engulfed within two sets of warm arms, somehow merged into an embrace between Hermione and her parents.

"Oh, Hermione!" her mother cried. "Oh, we've been so worried!"

Hermione pulled back from her parents, and Ron saw immediately that she was already crying. Tears were falling in waves down her cheeks, and she was hiccuping as her father's concerned eyes raked over her, no doubt checking for any signs of injury. After all, they hadn't seen her since that night...

_That _night.

It could have been a lifetime since...

"I'm okay, I'm okay," Hermione repeated, through gulps of air and shaky sobs.

"Come into the sitting room. Come on and sit down," her mother instructed, steering her into the sitting room, followed by Mr. Granger. Ron trailed after them, but his father stopped him just before he crossed through the doorway.

"Do you need me in there?" his father asked. "I'll be glad to-"

"No, Dad," Ron said, and it was as if some automatic force had taken over the formerly manual functions of his own body, his thoughts, and his actions. He felt numb as he swallowed. "We can do this. It'll be fine."

Mr. Weasley clapped Ron's shoulder briefly, nodding, and then Ron had nothing left to do but turn... and face everything.

Hermione had left a space open next to her on the sofa, and Ron occupied it silently, noting how much Hermione was shaking. He wanted to hold her, but he knew how wildly unsuitable that gesture would be, given their circumstances.

"Hermione, please," her mother half-cried, "can you tell us what's going on?"

Hermione trembled, clasping her hands together in her own lap.

"That's what I've come here to tell you," she said softly, eyes darting everywhere.

Ron watched her closely, blocking out everything else for now. If he could be here with her, and no one else, then perhaps he could do this...

"Mum, Dad," Hermione started after a long pause, her hands shaking madly against her thighs, "I-I'm s-so sorry I worried you but..."

Her parents stared at her, waiting impatiently for her to continue.

"You have to understand... Ron's family, they saved my life! And Ron..." she glanced over at him, eyes meeting his briefly, and he felt some strange power to give her confidence, noting that her hands stilled in her lap when she continued speaking.

"If it hadn't been for him..." she trailed off, swallowing audibly. "That night, when Ron and his father came to get me, I'd received a letter... a _proposal_."

Mr. Granger's eyes widened.

"You can't mean a _marriage _proposal..." he half-whispered.

Hermione nodded, and both of her parents gasped in unison.

"More of a demand... than a proposal," Hermione said, and Ron felt renewed hatred towards the Malfoys at the mere mention of it...

Mrs. Granger covered her mouth with her hands, eyes wide with shock, but Hermione continued quickly.

"We never knew how bad things had gotten," she started, "and it's not just the wizarding world. We tried to stop it. But everything's..."

She paused to catch her breath, palms pressed flat to her thighs now. Ron's fingers twitched in her direction, but he didn't move. Not yet.

"This proposal... it was from someone in our school called Draco Malfoy."

Ron clenched a fistful of denim, at the thigh of his jeans. He was sure, that if Malfoy had decided to drop by just then, he'd have no trouble killing the bastard with his bare hands...

"He wanted to marry me to enslave me, because I'm muggleborn," Hermione continued, and her parents looked at each other, shocked but momentarily confused.

"Because... you don't have wizards for parents," her father said finally, more of a statement than a question, as if he was slowly remembering something Hermione had told him before...

"Yes," Hermione nodded. "And it would have worked. I couldn't stop him from... marrying me."

"Hermione, do you need our help? ! What can we do? !" Mrs. Granger cried, horrified.

"It's alright, Mum! It's going to be f-fine!" Hermione said quickly, in a desperate attempt to calm her mother. "It's going to be alright... because Ron saved me."

Two sets of awed Granger eyes turned from their daughter towards Ron. He was sure he'd be blushing if he didn't know what was coming... if knowing Hermione's next words hadn't drained all the blood from his face already.

"He saved me," Hermione continued, voice cracking, "by marrying me first."


	12. Sweets

**Chapter 12 - Sweets**

Everyone blinked in unison. The silence stretched indefinitely, like the walk down a ship's plank, watching the sharks swarm beneath your feet. Ron could nearly feel Hermione breathing next to him, the tiniest movements of her body causing the couch cushions beneath them to shift in a way that should have otherwise been imperceptible.

And then, at last, the air seemed to rush out of the room, and Hermione's mother and father were suddenly staring into Ron's eyes, three sets of perfectly rounded pupils locked together.

"W-What?" Mrs. Granger questioned, jaw hanging open at the end of her word.

Ron swallowed, and then he swallowed again. And then Hermione was opening her mouth, and he knew she was going to defend him, but he got there first, suddenly overwhelmed by every single detail...

"This is insane, and we know that, but it's what we had to do, and I wasn't going to let that sodding bastard marry her, okay? S-So it's not that big of a deal!"

In the back of Ron's mind, he knew he was yelling and should calm down, but he was carrying on before the thought could fully register...

"It's not like either of us is doing anything against our will! But that's what would have happened if we hadn't... if..." But Ron's brain finally caught up to his mouth as he felt Hermione's eyes on him as well, wide and frozen.

"Hermione, we need to talk to you," Mr. Granger said slowly. "Alone."

Ron swallowed again and licked his dry lips, hands shaking.

"Ron, will you wait outside with your father?" Hermione half-whispered, and Ron nodded slowly, resigned to do as she asked and trust her.

So he stood, with one last glance down at her, and left them to it. Once he was through the door, out of the sitting room and back into the kitchen, he slumped against the wall, muttering incomprehensibly until his father approached him.

"What happened?" Mr. Weasley whispered.

"Oh, blimey, it was... I don't even know!" Ron hissed, moving away from the door so as not to be heard by Hermione and her parents, who he could now hear conversing in tense but low tones back in the sitting room...

"Well, what did they say?" Mr. Weasley prodded as he opened the back door and steered Ron out into the garden where they could talk openly.

"I don't... nothing! They didn't really get the chance... I sort of, um..." Ron shrugged helplessly. "Well, what was I supposed to do?" he defended. "It was too quiet!"

Mr. Granger chuckled briefly as Ron shuddered, running a hand through his hair, causing it to take several detours from its normal course, pieces standing up at completely conflicting angles as he sighed.

"So, you shouted and then they asked you to leave?" Mr. Weasley summed up.

"Sadly, that's pretty accurate, yeah..."

"Do you think I should talk to them?" Mr. Weasley asked slowly.

"No!" Ron said sharply. "No, that's not a good idea. Let's just... I think we should wait. I think Hermione's parents wanted to talk to her alone after..."

"Right, okay," Mr. Weasley said finally, sounding quite sympathetic.

So they sat on the garden bench, Ron's legs bouncing nervously, in complete silence.

He really wasn't sure what had possessed him to shout at his... oh, God, his _parents_... in law. He shuddered and shifted his feet against the mulch. This wasn't how any of this should be. It should be beautiful and soft and nice and warm... just like Hermione. And, frankly, it should be years from now. But no. Of course not. Of course everything had to get fucked. Again. Because of that stupid git Malfoy...

Ron boiled with rage as he considered once again just how much they'd all had to sacrifice. So, yes. They were okay. They'd won. But things were still shit. Hermione was probably getting lectured and questioned right now by her parents when she should be enjoying her summer like a normal sixteen year old person! It was outrageous. And bloody annoying. And by the time Hermione had finally emerged from her parents' house nearly half an hour later, Ron was so worked up that steam was nearly coming out of his ears.

"We can go now. I don't think I'll be staying for dinner," Hermione sniffed as she approached Ron and his father, who Ron noticed was now standing, inspecting a bird feeder hanging from a tree limb. "I'm sorry I kept you waiting so long."

"Don't apologize," Ron snapped, immediately regretting his tone as Hermione shrank back slightly and sniffed again.

"Well, grab ahold, kids," Mr. Weasley said, holding out both arms.

And moments later, they were landing in the Burrow's front yard, just inside the wards.

"Hermione," Mr. Weasley began, studying her closely. "Do you want to talk about anything before we go inside? You know, you're a special part of our family, and we want you to feel comfortable and know you can talk to us. To me and Molly, if you ever need..." he trailed off, looking only a tad awkward. Ron felt a wave of pride at the way his father was now looking so kindly at his... wife.

He swallowed yet another lump in his throat.

"Mr. Weasley," Hermione half whispered. "That's so kind of you. Thank you. But I really think I'll be alright. I'll just have a cup of tea and maybe go up to bed early."

"Of course," Mr. Weasley said.

She gave him a small smile before he nodded and turned, leading the way back into the Burrow.

In the kitchen, Ron remained silent as Hermione made herself a cup of tea. He simply watched her, wondering how it was that they'd ended up here. And finally, she glanced fully at him, for the first time since leaving her parents' garden, and he felt his heart melt, at last, breaking him down. All of his former rage dissipated as he looked into her eyes. And before he could speak, he was taking her hand.

"Come up to my room," he said quietly, "and we can talk. Or not. Or we can just... you know. Just stay together."

She nodded, clutching her tea mug tightly. But he managed to slip the mug from her hands, pour himself his own cup, and lead the way softly up to his room.

The sun was beginning to set, the sky just beginning to turn from the bright blue of a summer day to the pink-orange of evening. And they sat silently, side by side, on Ron's bed, sipping tea as they watched the clouds drift in odd patterns out Ron's paned window, distorted images as the trees across the yard lit up with the rays of sun that were just beginning to drop below them.

Finally, Ron let out a long breath, words floating out with it...

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Hermione said, nudging Ron with her shoulder as he smiled sadly.

"Sorry for that too." He looked sideways at her, her face brilliantly lit in places and hidden in shadow in others, like a beautiful abstract painting. He lost his train of thought...

"Ron?" she questioned after a moment. "You're staring."

"Can't help it," he said, making no move to look away from her. "Hermione, do you want to talk about what happened, what they said? I can take it, you know..." He trailed off, swallowing as he realized the horrible things her parents must be thinking about him now, and how bad of an impression he must have made.

"There's not much to tell," she shrugged, looking away from him, and he knew she was backing away from the question, unwilling to discuss all she was feeling right now.

And maybe that was alright. Maybe it was okay just to be here, just to exist together for now. Because he could do that for her. He could make her feel happy again, couldn't he? He could show her all of the things in life worth doing this for, worth fighting for. Because even though it was shit, and no where close to what she truly deserved, she had him, didn't she? And if he's who she was stuck with, he'd just have to be exactly what she needed, whenever she needed it. No matter what. And that was all he ever really wanted to do anyway, wasn't it...

So he jumped down off the bed, making Hermione bounce slightly with the sudden weight change. He dropped to his knees, reaching a long arm under his bed, feeling around for something familiar...

"Ron, what on earth..." Hermione began, watching him with raised eyebrows.

"A ha!" he announced triumphantly, pulling out a very large bag...

...of Honeydukes sweets.

Hermione laughed out loud, covering her mouth. And Ron was frozen for a moment at how effing adorable she looked... how _perfect_. Once he'd recovered enough to function, he took her empty tea cup from her now-steady hand and set it on his rug, crawling back up onto the bed to flop beside her, enthusiastically kicking off his shoes and letting them fly across his room as he thrust his feet up to free them.

She shook her head at him, amused, as he scooted all the way back to the wall, his legs still dangling over the side of the bed. He began untwisting the tie that held the Honeydukes bag together.

"Now," he began, clearing his throat, "I don't let just any old person taste these." He held up the bag, dropping the tie. "But tonight's a special night. You know why?"

Hermione shook her head, neatly removing her own shoes now, eyes shining.

"Because," Ron began, but he paused, looking around his room as if he expected someone to be eavesdropping from a shadowy corner.

Hermione giggled and crawled up to lean against the wall next to him, her shoulder resting fully against his arm. He leaned to his right, lower, lower, until his lips were level with her ear.

"Mum forgot to call us for dinner..." he whispered. "And you must know what _that_means..."

"Honeydukes for dinner?" she asked shakily, and he paused with his lips a breath from her skin, shocked at how delightfully nervous she sounded.

"Exactly," he said, drawing out every syllable of the word, lips accidentally touching her jaw as he moved back again. He felt almost drunk as he breathed in her scent, situating himself back in a relatively neutral position as he reached his hand into the bag, watching through the clear plastic to ensure he captured the best piece to give to her...

But his eyes glued themselves for a long moment to the ring he now wore on his finger. It suddenly felt oddly heavy, like looking at it was making it so much more real. He laughed happily, aware of Hermione's eyes on him and her parted lips...

"What's funny?" she asked in that same shaky voice.

He managed to locate a piece of coconut ice for Hermione, and held out his hand to her.

"Nothing," he said as she took it, inspecting it. "I just... I dunno. Everything feels a bit... funny... doesn't it?"

He watched her eat the sweet he'd given to her, feeling instantly ridiculous, having said something so mental to her when they'd been in the midst of some kind of moment... he wasn't sure how to explain it. It felt like freedom, and maybe that's why he'd been so carefree with his words all of a sudden, stumbling over them as he tried to process his answer, getting tongue tied from the heat of his room and Hermione's body next to him. Breathing.

"Yes," she said, and he was almost shocked to hear her voice, like he'd drifted into a place where he was merely an outsider, just watching her face there inches from his, her eyes on his lips...

"What if I kissed you?" he heard himself say.

"Then I'd kiss you back."

So he did, and she did. And everything tasted like coconut. And his lips were on fire, surely, between hers. His tongue slipped between her teeth and she bit lightly, accidentally, he thought. But it was like a tiny reminder of the certainty of life, that he could feel pain and desire and love and lust... and all of the things he truly felt that he actually _wanted _to feel, that he was _allowed _to feel. Because he was real. And so was she.

"Ron," she sighed into his mouth, and he forgot about hunger and thirst, replacing both with the feel of her hands sliding against his back and his shirt too tight across his broadening chest as he allowed his left leg to drift over his right, reaching out towards her with every limb.

She leaned back half an inch and he pressed against her, dropping them the rest of the way, flat against his mattress. His hands moved easily from her cheeks to her hair and back again as hers worked underneath his shirt, up his bare spine like feather tips.

And everything seemed _one_way, a very particular way, until he felt her shaking beneath him, and he withdrew his head far enough to look into her eyes. Only he couldn't.

She was clenching her eyes shut, tears spilling from the corners.

"Hermione! I'm sorry!" he shouted roughly, rolling off of her, no idea what he was really apologizing for. He distantly noticed how dark it had gotten inside his room, a mere sliver of daylight left to illuminate Hermione's features.

"No!" and then she was clutching him again, dragging him back to his original position. "You didn't do anything wrong. "

Afraid of his weight against her, he rolled them to their sides, facing one another, locked together as he tried to make sense of her behaviour, confused and muddled and slightly intoxicated by the taste of coconut flavoured Hermione...

"You won't ever leave me, will you Ron?" she asked, eyes still clamped shut.

"Of course not!" It was absurd for her to even have to ask, and he found himself clutching her even tighter in reassurance.

"We're going to be okay?"

"More than okay, Hermione," he breathed. "We have each other, don't we?"

She nodded.

"And I'll never let anything happen to you, you know that?" he added.

She nodded again, but finally opened her eyes.

"Ron, just promise me one thing."

His heart beat wildly as she blinked up at him, and if he concentrated closely, he could sense her eyes narrowing, just a fraction...

"What?" he asked, blindly.

"Never, _ever _die. Because you know what that would make you?"

He wanted to laugh, to tease her for the irrationality of asking someone to promise to live forever. But he couldn't quite do it, his throat seizing at the idea of releasing a sound just yet.

So he shook his head, awaiting her reply.

"A bloody liar," she said easily. "Because... if you died, you'd have to leave me. Or take me with you."

He had no words to express the vastness of his emotions, feelings he once thought only existed as ideas, detached from the logic of a brain and choices. Even souls, whatever and wherever they really were, buried inside a shell of muscle, bone and blood. But today, he felt everything. And all at once. And he was sure he wouldn't burst. He was sure, even, that he had room to spare. For the future. For every kiss, every touch, every word she spoke. Because every day, he found new pieces of himself he'd never known were there, like a gradually increasing light, revealing ancient dust in every corner.

He touched his forehead to hers, and he felt somehow that he could promise her the world and his words would come true. He'd never have to break his promise. Because with her arms around him and her foot between his legs, with her breath against his cheek and her eyes full of new moonlight, everything was possible.


End file.
